Islanders host playoff games April 2, 3
Charlottetown opens series on the road in Baie-Comeau this weekend
The Charlottetown Islanders entertain the Baie-Comeau Drakkar at Eastlink Centre on April 2 and 3 in Games 3 and 4 in Round 1 of the best-of-seven Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) playoffs.
The youthful Islanders, who play the first two games of the playoffs this weekend in Baie-Comeau, Que., held their annual Fans Choice Awards night March 25 and standout Newfoundland defenceman Marcus Kearsey walked away with five major awards, including top defensive player as well as The Player’s player voted on by his teammates.
Another Newfoundlander in the spotlight was rookieof-the-year Matthew Butler with 11 goals and 32 assists.
Giovanni Morneau won offensive player of the year while goaltender Carter Bickle earned MVP honors, an indication of how well he played with a very young club.
Stratford’s Simon Hughes, who got off to a slow start with assorted injuries, finished strong, breaking the 20-goal plateau, and was recognized with the hardestworking player.
In other local action, Billy McGuigan’s Summerside Western Caps won Round
1 of the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) playoffs, bouncing Yarmouth in five games. Summerside now meets Amherst.
On the minor hockey front, Billy’s nephew, Isaac McGuigan, was voted U9 MVP in Pownal – the first of likely many trophies for Mike and Erin’s boy.
Sons and daughters of P.E.I. horse persons also excel in hockey. In recent championships, Jenn Doyle (and Darren Trainer’s) son, Cameron, was MVP and leading scorer for Pownal U15 while Erielle Campbell, Brett and Ambyr’s daughter, won the U13 P.E.I. AAA provincial championship with Central Storm Black.
Zach Smith, Jamie and Angie’s boy, and Adam Merner and Melissa’s son, Jackson, played key roles in recent championships.
How about Ali Campbell, daughter of Marc and Natasha?
She is a multiple sports star excelling in hockey, soccer and track and field.
BASEBALL
Major League Baseball is underway, and my New York Yankees are opening the season with an injury-riddled club. Pitching star Gerrit Cole is on the shelf for a staff plagued by question marks, which now is anchored by exBlue Jay Marcus Stroman.
Aaron Judge has been in and out of the lineup, and former batting champ D J LeMahieu is sidelined with an ankle injury. They’ve added slugger Juan Soto, and the Bronx Bombers expect big things from shortstop Anthony Volpe.
The Yankees traded for veteran middle infielder Jon Berti, and he will provide immediate help.
The Toronto Blue Jays open the season on a ninegame road trip beginning with Tampa Bay, a huge overachiever for the past five years. Tampa always seems to find talented young pitchers but will be without outstanding shortstop Wander Franco and star pitcher Tyler Glasnow. It’s hard to think Tampa Bay will be a contender.
Toronto has a top-notch pitching staff in Chris Bassitt, Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios. This is the strength of the team.
The Jays don’t have much offence, but a big year from Vladimir Guerrero will solve a lot of problems. They’ve added 39-year-old DH Justin Turner and third baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa and saved the second base job for Cavan Biggio. I don’t think this trio will scare anybody.
After playing Tampa Bay, Toronto has three games at Houston and three at Yankee Stadium. They get a big break playing injury-riddled Tampa Bay and New York early, so we should be hearing World Series promises from the Toronto media next week.
NHL
In the NHL, the Maple Leafs watched in disbelief as they fired 45 or so shots at New Jersey goalie Jake Allen yet lost 6-3 in a game that showed why the Devils will not make the playoffs and why the Leafs are such a wagering risk. The defensive play on both sides was just terrible.
However, the Leafs, with unpredictable firepower and defence, can still be a dangerous opponent.
It must have been a bad night all the way around; the Rangers won 6-5 over Philadelphia, Vegas blew a fourgoal lead and lost to Nashville in overtime and Colorado lost 2-1 to Montreal.
The Bruins edged Florida in a tense and vicious playoffstyle game, but both clubs have come up with stinkers recently.
The playoffs are about three weeks away, and one could make a strong case for about 12 teams to win the Stanley Cup. It’s a wide-open affair.
How about Nashville – 8-0-2 in their last 10 and at 90 points? They’ve beaten all the top clubs in recent weeks and have a great goaltender in Finland’s Juuse Saros, lifetime 2.60 GAA.
HARNESS RACING
Live racing continues March 30 with a 15-dash Mohawk card at 6:30 p.m. There’s plenty of P.E.I.-owned horses in to go, including former Atlantic stake star Mistifying in Race 5 ($24,000), versus the likes of So Much More. Kevin Harvey’s Uncle Shank A has Post 8 in the $70,000 final of the New Holland Series.
... One of Jamie MacKinley’s babies, J J Xavier, is listed in the $35,000 claiming ranks while Jeff Lilley and Blair MacLauchlan’s new star, All Bets on Tex, heads a tough $23,000 conditioned pace for trainer-driver Tyler Moore.
... American History has Post 6 ($24,000) for driver Dale Spence in Race 12. In this same race, the horse to beat is Saulsbrook Victor for owners Brent MacLennan and Bret MacDonald.
... The third leg of the Borgata Series for invitational horses is the highlight of the April 1 Yonkers card, where, in Race 9, the two unbeaten horses winning their opening two splits at $50,000, Desperate Man (Matt Kakaley) and Rocknroll Runa A (Mark MacDonald), tangle. Rocknroll Runa has the outside post while Covered Bridge is next door with likely favourite Desperate Man from Post 3.
... Locally, the race game lost one of its most personable and likeable owners in Kensington’s Gene Smallman, a prominent player in both the cattle and harness racing industry. To his wife, Cheryl, daughter Jillian, son Jody and all connected to this gentleman, our condolences.
Fred MacDonald’s column appears every Saturday in The Guardian. He can be reached at fiddlersfacts@hotmail.com.