Runner set to finish what he started

BATHURST, N.B. – Summerside native Bennett MacArthur and Chad Arsenault of St-Rafael continued their strong starts for the AcadieBathurst Titan over the Thanksgiving weekend.

MacArthur scored a hat trick while Arsenault made 32 saves as the Titan doubled the visiting Halifax Mooseheads 6-3 in a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game on Sunday. MacArthur was selected the game’s first star while Arsenault was the second star.

After going pointless in the season opener, MacArthur has scored five goals in the

last three games as the Titan improved to 3-0-0-1 (wonlost-overtime-losses-shootout losses).

Arsenault, who has played every minute between the pipes for the Titan since being acquired for a ninthround draft pick in 2021 from the Charlottetown Islanders on Oct. 2, has been the goaltender of record for all four games while posting a 1.68 goals-against average, .955 save percentage and one shutout.

Titan defencemen Cole Larkin, who is an assistant captain, finished the game against Halifax with a plus-4 rating while Zach Biggar was plus-1. Larkin is from Mermaid, and Biggar calls Portage home.

MAKES 49 SAVES

In Saint John, N.B., on Friday, Arsenault earned secondstar honours as he stopped 49 of 50 shots through regulation time and overtime and was beaten only once on three shootout attempts as the Titan fell 2-1 to the host Sea Dogs.

Arsenault’s resumé included stopping 17 shots in each of the first and second periods, 14 of 15 in the third period and one in extra time.

MacArthur scored the Titan’s lone goal.

Arsenault, MacArthur and Biggar are products of the O’Leary-based Prince County Warriors’ major under-15 team and the Kensington Wild major under-18 club.

Larkin, who is in his third season with the Titan, played major under-15 hockey with the Eastern Express and came out of the Charlottetown Pride (now Knights) major under-18 program.

MacArthur started last season with the Summerside Western Capitals of the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) before joining the Titan.

Arsenault also played in the MHL with the Berwick, N.S.-based Valley Wildcats in 2019-20.