Hometown goalie nets results
Macdonald figures prominently in Bearcats’ push toward MHL playoffs
TRURO, N.S. – Since his childhood, Alec Macdonald has been immersed in the life of the Truro Bearcats.
Now a third-year goaltender with the Maritime Junior Hockey League team, Macdonald’s association with his hometown junior A Bearcats goes all the way back to when he was in novice about 12 years ago. That’s when his family began billeting junior players in their Truro home, beginning with Doug Burns during the 2008-09 season.
“We had countless guys coming to our house, staying with us throughout the years,” said Macdonald, who turns 20 this month. “It meant the world to me. Growing up, those guys were like role models. I went to all the games.
“Now, it has kind of come full circle, with me playing with the Bearcats. It’s pretty cool.”
What’s more, Macdonald has emerged as the Bearcats’ No. 1 goaltender this season. His steady play since November has enabled Truro to recover from a slow start and contend for a playoff position.
“It’s my third year now and I’m trying to take on a bigger role with the team,” said the sixfoot-one, 195-pound Macdonald, whose family now billets second-year Bearcats forward Caleb Hart. “It feels pretty good to get the playing time and help our team win games. I’m just trying to do what I can and give the team a chance to win. Things have really started to turn around.”
Including a 4-3 home victory over the Amherst Ramblers on Jan. 3, the Bearcats have won four straight games and earned at least a point in seven consecutive games, going 5-0-2 in the process. Macdonald has tended goal for 11 straight games since Remembrance Day, posting a 7-1-3 record during that significant stretch. Overall, he has an 11-7-6 slate, with a 2.81 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. In his latest outing last Friday, he made 33 saves in a 4-3 win over the Amherst Ramblers.
Macdonald, a frequent game star of late, is among the league leaders in multiple goaltending categories. He’s one of the most active goalies, with 1,514 minutes of action through early January.
“I can remember back in my first year, I was on the other end (of the depth chart) in the backup role,” he said. “I had a good goalie partner that year in Kevin Resop. He really took me under his wing and taught me a lot.
“The following year, it was a little more of a split between goalies (Macdonald and Myles Hektor), so I got extra playing
time and kept growing as a goalie and developing. And now, this year, I definitely feel ready to take on a lot more time and try to get our team in a good position. I know I can play
well at this level.”
Truro’s backup goaltender this season is 18-year-old Sebastien Plamondon, who signed with the Bearcats this past summer after one year with the
Rayside-balfour Canadians in the Northern Ontario junior A league. Plamondon, who suffered a pre-season hand injury that slightly delayed his MHL debut, has appeared in just five games with Truro.
“It’s never a bad thing,” Macdonald said of Plamondon’s presence. “You want to have a good competition. It’s only going to make both goalies better. He’s definitely a hard worker and you can tell he wants to play. It’s been a good, healthy relationship and battle between us.”
Macdonald plans to play a fourth year with the Bearcats next season before shooting for university hockey. He’s a second-year student at Dalhousie University’s Agricultural Campus.
“I definitely want to try to keep playing,” he said. “(College hockey) would be huge for me. Getting my education would be important, too. I’d definitely welcome any opportunity to keep playing in university.”
He’s already a student of the game, modelling his goaltending style after Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens, who rank as Macdonald’s favourite NHL team. One of Macdonald’s most redeeming qualities is his calmness in the net.
“I guess it’s just part of my personality,” he said. “Just being a little laid back, almost. It’s always been my trait as a goalie. I hear it all the time. ‘Oh, you look so calm in the net.’ But I’m really just focused on the game and doing whatever I can to help us win. It’s just part of who I am.”
Bearcats captain Ben Higgins has known Macdonald well from as far back as their minor hockey days.
“He’s been unbelievable,” Higgins said. “Alec has been keeping us in every game right from the start of the season till now. He’s been a big part of this team’s success in the last 10 or so games.
“He never panics. He’s always just kind of chill. He’s just kind of Alec. That’s just who he is. He’s a relaxed guy on and off the ice, but he’s always focused and ready to go.”
Higgins, who played three seasons in the QMJHL with the Halifax Mooseheads, believes Macdonald is a major juniorcalibre goaltender.
“Honestly, I think that he got the short end of the stick not making the Q,” Higgins said. “I feel like he should have been a Q goalie, but he didn’t really get the opportunity to do that. We’re lucky to have him here in Truro.”
Macdonald was a fifth-round draft choice of the QMJHL’S Chicoutimi Sagueneens in 2016. He tasted major junior action in the 2016-17 season when the Moncton Wildcats called him up from the Weeks Major Midgets.
“It was a really cool experience,” he said. “I was playing against some really good hockey players. It was good to get that experience under my belt.”
The versatile Macdonald has played competitive fastball with the Colchester Royals, who competed in the under-19 nationals last August.
“It’s always good to play a different sport,” said Macdonald, usually an outfielder or first baseman. “You can’t always be focused on one sport. You don’t want to burn yourself out of the sport. (Fastball is) something different. It’s a good workout even when you’re not thinking about it. It keeps you in shape.”
His outdoor activities last summer included his job as a groundskeeper at Truro-area soccer fields.
Macdonald wears No. 35 with the Bearcats.
“I got that my first year playing here,” he said. “When Jacob Fancy was playing (net with the Bearcats), I definitely always looked up to him and he wore No. 35 back in his day, so now I get to wear that number and kind of carry it on.”
Macdonald is carrying on that tradition in style.
“Alec is having a great season,” said Bearcats coach and GM Shawn Evans. “He’s a really good kid – very quiet around the coaching staff. I have a lot of respect for Alec and his family. He’s a very low-maintenance person and athlete. His parents have been nothing but supportive of the Bearcats. That is very much appreciated.”