Crunch time
Caps looking to overcome adversity as series vs. Dieppe continues Saturday
All season long the Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals have talked about the team’s strong character.
Well, it’s being put to the test as the Caps continue on in the MHL (Maritime Junior Hockey League) playoffs. The Caps trail the Dieppe Commandos 2-1 in the best-of-seven Eastlink North Division final series, with Game 4 in New Brunswick on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Game 5 is at Eastlink Arena on Sunday at 7 p.m.
“Adversity is part of playoff hockey and is part of a team growing together as one,” said Caps head coach Billy McGuigan. “We’ve been faced with a lot of adversity.”
After overcoming a 3-1 series deficit in Round 1 against Campbellton, the Caps have been hit hard with injuries in Round 2 against Dieppe. A disallowed second-period goal on a questionable goalie interference call against Caps forward Nathan Yetman in a 5-4 overtime loss in Game 3 on Wednesday night only added to that adversity.
“We feel it is us against the world sometimes,” said McGuigan, whose team was unable to protect 3-1 and 4-3 leads in the third period. “We are trying to do our best to win another series, and we are in a real good series with Dieppe.” The Capitals will be without three injured regulars for Game 4 – defenceman Joey Colatarci along with forwards Blaize Bridges and Josh Pugsley. The three players have combined for 143 regularseason points and 16 in the playoffs.
“Josh Pugsley took a pretty vicious hit to the head behind the play (in Game 3), and he’s out now as well,” said McGuigan. “We’ve lost two of our top three centreman and our No. 1 D at this point.”
Colatarci (eye) and Bridges (upper body) were injured in Game 2.
Tyler Burton of the Island Junior Hockey League’s Kensington Vipers took Colatarci’s spot in Game 3, and affiliated forward Brodie MacArthur of Summerside will draw in on Saturday. The Kensington Wild assistant captain led the New Brunswick/P.E.I. Major Midget Hockey League with 60 points in 35 regular-season games, and was a second-team allstar at last week’s Atlantic major midget hockey championship. “We are hoping he adds a little shot in the arm to our offence,” said McGuigan.
One player the Caps will look to for offence is veteran Thomas Stavert, who had a leagueleading 97 points in 47 regularseason games. The Kensington native, who was named the league’s player of the year, has 10 points in 10 playoff games, but is still looking for his first goal against Dieppe.
“It’s not like Thomas is not having chances,” said McGuigan. “He had a good series in Round 1, and we’re waiting for him to light the lamp in Round 2.”
“We feel it is us against the world sometimes. We are trying to do our best to win another series, and we are in a real good series with Dieppe.”
Caps head coach Billy McGuigan