Time for Islanders to jump on O’Leary Hockeyville bandwagon

Busy weekend of playoff hockey in Prince County

You probably know by now that O’Leary is a finalist for the title of Kraft Hockeyville in Canada.

Only 10 communities remain in the hunt for the honour, and O’Leary is an eastern finalist. O’Leary has earned $25,000 as a finalist, but is after the big prize of $100,000 if they make the final.

Along with the cash, the winning community will get to host an NHL exhibition game this fall.

The O’Leary Community Sports Centre is 25-years-old, and in need of some upgrades. The winnings would go a long way in making the upgrades happen.

Residents of the Island, and elsewhere, are encouraged to go online and vote for O’Leary and, at the same time, encourage others to do so. Reach out to family and friends, whether they are Islanders or not, and give O’Leary that little extra push.

Islanders helping Islanders is the Island way, and the reward will be well worth it. Online voting begins on Sunday at 9 a.m., and runs until Monday at midnight. Good luck to all involved!

Playoff hockey

Playoff hockey is underway in most leagues, and local fans have some big games to choose from this weekend.

The pivotal Game 3 in the Kensington Wild and Charlottetown Pride provincial major midget championship series goes in Kensington on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. It should be a dandy.

Both teams have won on the opponent’s ice, and the Wild hopes to change that. They appear to be evenly-matched teams, which will make for a great series.

A seven-game series will give the bank accounts of both franchises a boost. Another big contest is in O’Leary on Saturday. It will feature Game 3 of the West Prince Senior Hockey League championship series between O’Leary and Alberton. Each has won on home ice, and fans have flocked to both rinks for the first two games. Another huge crowd is expected for that all-important Game 3. Meanwhile, the Island Junior Hockey League playoffs get underway in both Kensington and Abram-Village on Sunday evening.

The Vipers host the Eastern Maniacs in what looks like a Kensington sweep, and the Western Red Wings will have a much tougher time with the Sherwood-Parkdale Metros. However, the Wings should win a long series.

Charlottetown Islanders

The Charlottetown Islanders are hosting a game of the fall series with the QMJHL All-Stars against Russia at Eastlink Centre on Nov. 14.

The Islanders’ organization should look at hosting the Memorial Cup in Charlottetown. It would be a major tournament for our capital city, and considering the Islanders have never hosted the Cup it should give them an edge.

Many would say Eastlink Centre is too small to stage this tournament, but Shawinigan hosted the Memorial Cup just a few years ago in a smaller rink than Eastlink Centre.

Olympic hockey

Olympic hockey is looking like a thing of the past as far as NHL players participating in the next Winter Games.

The NHL is working on next year’s schedule without setting aside time for the 2018 Games in Korea. I think that is great news, but many locals do not. The Island Junior Hockey League has an online poll that asks if you think NHL players should participate in the Olympics. The results of 790 polled shows that 661 – or almost 84 per cent say yes – while 129, or just over 16 per cent, say no.

The interruption of the NHL season and the injury risks to the players are just not worth it. Have a great week!