Three N.B. teams vying for Maritime junior hockey crowns
Sunny Corner hosting junior C tourney; Cocagne squad competing for Don Johnson Cup
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Two junior C hockey teams from New Brunswick and one junior B squad will battle for Maritime supremacy in their respective divisions this week.
The Tri-County River Cats of Fredericton Junction and the Sunny Corner Thunder will compete at the 2024 Maritime Junior C Hockey Championships, being hosted by the Thunder, from Wednesday to Sunday at the Miramichi Civic Centre.
Meanwhile, the Kent Koyotes of Cocagne will represent New Brunswick at the 2024 Don Johnson Memorial Cup tournament from Tuesday to Sunday in Mount Pearl, N.L.
The River Cats are this year’s Maritime North Division champions, as they eliminated the Western Valley Panthers of Woodstock in five games in the junior C final. Tri-County also beat the Thunder in five games in the semifinals after Sunny Corner swept the expansion Elsipogtog Hawks in a best-of-three miniseries to decide the fourth playoff seed.
The River Cats led the five-team junior C division with a 22-3 win-loss mark. The Thunder went 11-12-1, good for fourth place.
The Koyotes went 22-4 in regular-season play and defeated the Moncton Vitos in five games in the junior B league final after beating the Cap-Pelé Knights in five games in the semis.
The Maritime junior C tournament will kick off Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. between the River Cats and the Pownal Ice Dogs of Prince Edward Island. After the opening ceremonies at 7:15 p.m., the Thunder will take on Nova Scotia’s Southwest Storm at 7:30 p.m.
On Thursday, the Storm and River Cats will face off at 4:30 p.m., followed by the Thunder and Ice Dogs doing battle at 7:30 p.m. Friday’s round-robin games will include the Ice Dogs and Storm at 4:30 p.m. and the Thunder and River Cats renewing their acquaintances in a 7:30 p.m. puck drop.
The crossovers are Saturday at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m., with the final set for Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Koyotes’ games at the junior B tournament – being hosted by the Mount Pearl Blades – are Wednesday at noon against Prince Edward Island’s Kensington Vipers, Thursday at noon versus Nova Scotia’s Antigonish Bulldogs, and Friday at 3:30 p.m. against the St. John’s Caps. The semis are Saturday at 3 and 7:30 p.m., with the championship game slated for Sunday at 1 p.m.
Titan swept by Drakkar in QMJHL playoffs
After upsetting the Halifax Mooseheads with a four-game sweep in the first round of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League post-season, the Acadie-Bathurst Titan were swept by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in four straight games of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals.
Bathurst fell 6-5 in overtime in Game 3 April 16 at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre and lost 5-4 in overtime in Game 4 a day later. The Titan dropped 2-1 and 4-2 decisions in the first two games.
Scorers for the Titan in Game 4 were Robert Orr with two goals and Milo Roelens and Philippe Collette with a single apiece. Joshua Fleming turned aside 35 shots in the losing cause.
Bathurst’s Game 3 marksmen were Orr, Dylan Andrews, Dawson Sharkey, Roelens, and Émile Perron. Antoine Keller stopped 32 shots for the Titan, but was tagged with the loss.
The Drakkar will face the Cape Breton Eagles in the best-of-seven conference final starting Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. both nights in Baie-Comeau. The series will return to Sydney, N.S., April 29 and 30 for 7 p.m. starts on both nights. The winner will face the Western Conference champ in the league final.
Summerside takes early lead in MHL final
The Summerside Western Capitals got off to a strong start in the Maritime Junior Hockey League final with a 6-5 win in double overtime over the Miramichi Timberwolves in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series April 20 at Credit Union Place.
Ryder Howatt was the overtime hero for the Capitals, who finished the regular season on top of the 12-team junior A circuit. Blake Eastman scored twice for Summerside in regulation, while Trentyn Crane, Jacob Squires, and Robbie Rutledge each lit the lamp once. Drew Sim blocked 38 shots for the win.
Miramichi’s scorers in Game 1 were David Doucet, Ludovic Dufort, Zachaël Turgeon, Tim Porter, and Zachary Aprea-Ricard. Jack Flanagan made 42 stops for the Timberwolves in the losing effort.
Game 2 of the Metalfab MHL Cup Final is Monday at 7 p.m. in Miramichi, with Game 3 set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. on the Island. Game 4 is April 28 at 7 p.m. at the Miramichi Civic Centre.
If needed, Game 5 is on April 30 at 7 p.m. in Summerside, with Game 6 scheduled for May 2 at 7 p.m. in Miramichi. Game 7 is on May 4 at 7 p.m. at Credit Union Place, if necessary.
The series winner will play for a national championship at the Centennial Cup tournament, taking place from May 9 to 19 in Oakville, Ont.
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