![['Charlottetown Islanders centre Chris Chaddock fires a shot towards the Saint John goal Friday at the Eastlink Centre.']](https://saltwire.imgix.net/tg-12112016-chaddock-chris.jpg?cs=srgb&fit=crop&h=568&w=847&dpr=1&auto=enhance%2Ccompress%2Cformat)
While the Charlottetown Islanders of the Quebec major junior league continue an important road trip, the UPEI Panthers welcome a much-needed rest to regroup after a late first-half slump.
The Islanders are playing as well as any club in the Q. With three thrilling overtime wins at home, many think the Islanders could not just win their division, but represent the league in the Memorial Cup.
They have gotten better and better every game and with wins over Rouyn-Noranda, Shawinigan and Quebec, they look like the team to beat.
It’s not just one or two players, it’s their depth up front and on the blue-line that has impressed. Some suggest their goaltending needs an upgrade, but young Matthew Welsh was very, very sharp in the win over Rouyn-Noranda at home.
When high-scoring Dan Sprong arrives in the new year, he just might elevate this club into the Memorial Cup picture. It could happen.
The Panthers looked like contenders in the tough Atlantic University Sport conference halfway through the semester, but with seven straight losses they needed a break in the worse way. Right now, they are dead list in the seven-team loop with a 5-9-3 record, but are just two points behind Moncton and Dalhousie. They meet Dal and St. FX in their first two games here in January and nobody has to tell them how important those games are.
Sledge hockey
The World Sledge Hockey Challenge championship game goes today at 4 p.m. at MacLauchlan Arena with Canada meeting USA.
Summerside’s Billy Bridges has been a standout for Canada for the past decade and it would neat to see Canada win in Billy’s own backyard.
Basketball
The Island Storm of the National Basketball League of Canada opens its regular season on Boxing Day and it appears head coach Joe Salerno has assembled a very strong team, at least on paper.
Terry Thomas, who was outstanding both on offence and defence last year, and high-scoring forward Tirrell Baines are back and that’s great news.
Fan favourite and talented Nick Okorie returns after a year away and the news gets better. The Storm recently signed Leon Gibson and Sharife Sergeant, which give the club the size it didn’t have last season.
In other hoop news, local schoolteacher Ryan Keliher, who jumped from Island high school basketball to eventually become captain of University College of Cape Breton (UCCB) about a decade ago, is back in the spotlight. Keliher was MVP in his last semifinal game at the nationals in Halifax with UCCB and now has a book out, which is a great read for teenagers. The Superstar Curriculum is a motivational book, which shows students how to use their high school experiences to develop habits that will serve them throughout life.
Harness racing
Local harness racing continues today at 12:30 p.m. at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park (CDP) with a 16-dash card.
Driver Marc Campbell, the leading driver at Charlottetown and Summerside, will attempt to set a new CDP record for wins in a season. He co-holds the record of 130 but it will likely be broken by nightfall.
Don MacRae’s Drivingthedragon N has the outside in the eight-horse $2,300 top class.
The local harness racing community lost one of its best fans with the recent passing of Carl (Wimpy) Dawson, who seldom missed a race at the city track. His son Allan drives the starting gate at Mohawk and Woodbine. My condolences to all connected to this gentleman.
Anthony MacDonald’s Open House for The Stable.ca goes today at 11:30 a.m. Atlantic and will be streamed live from Campbellville.
Fred MacDonald's column appears every Saturday in The Guardian. He can be reached at [email protected].
While the Charlottetown Islanders of the Quebec major junior league continue an important road trip, the UPEI Panthers welcome a much-needed rest to regroup after a late first-half slump.
The Islanders are playing as well as any club in the Q. With three thrilling overtime wins at home, many think the Islanders could not just win their division, but represent the league in the Memorial Cup.
They have gotten better and better every game and with wins over Rouyn-Noranda, Shawinigan and Quebec, they look like the team to beat.
It’s not just one or two players, it’s their depth up front and on the blue-line that has impressed. Some suggest their goaltending needs an upgrade, but young Matthew Welsh was very, very sharp in the win over Rouyn-Noranda at home.
When high-scoring Dan Sprong arrives in the new year, he just might elevate this club into the Memorial Cup picture. It could happen.
The Panthers looked like contenders in the tough Atlantic University Sport conference halfway through the semester, but with seven straight losses they needed a break in the worse way. Right now, they are dead list in the seven-team loop with a 5-9-3 record, but are just two points behind Moncton and Dalhousie. They meet Dal and St. FX in their first two games here in January and nobody has to tell them how important those games are.
Sledge hockey
The World Sledge Hockey Challenge championship game goes today at 4 p.m. at MacLauchlan Arena with Canada meeting USA.
Summerside’s Billy Bridges has been a standout for Canada for the past decade and it would neat to see Canada win in Billy’s own backyard.
Basketball
The Island Storm of the National Basketball League of Canada opens its regular season on Boxing Day and it appears head coach Joe Salerno has assembled a very strong team, at least on paper.
Terry Thomas, who was outstanding both on offence and defence last year, and high-scoring forward Tirrell Baines are back and that’s great news.
Fan favourite and talented Nick Okorie returns after a year away and the news gets better. The Storm recently signed Leon Gibson and Sharife Sergeant, which give the club the size it didn’t have last season.
In other hoop news, local schoolteacher Ryan Keliher, who jumped from Island high school basketball to eventually become captain of University College of Cape Breton (UCCB) about a decade ago, is back in the spotlight. Keliher was MVP in his last semifinal game at the nationals in Halifax with UCCB and now has a book out, which is a great read for teenagers. The Superstar Curriculum is a motivational book, which shows students how to use their high school experiences to develop habits that will serve them throughout life.
Harness racing
Local harness racing continues today at 12:30 p.m. at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park (CDP) with a 16-dash card.
Driver Marc Campbell, the leading driver at Charlottetown and Summerside, will attempt to set a new CDP record for wins in a season. He co-holds the record of 130 but it will likely be broken by nightfall.
Don MacRae’s Drivingthedragon N has the outside in the eight-horse $2,300 top class.
The local harness racing community lost one of its best fans with the recent passing of Carl (Wimpy) Dawson, who seldom missed a race at the city track. His son Allan drives the starting gate at Mohawk and Woodbine. My condolences to all connected to this gentleman.
Anthony MacDonald’s Open House for The Stable.ca goes today at 11:30 a.m. Atlantic and will be streamed live from Campbellville.
Fred MacDonald's column appears every Saturday in The Guardian. He can be reached at [email protected].
The Prophet’s Football Picks
We’re coming off a perfect 4-for-4 week with Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Seattle and Detroit winning easily, so let’s take a look at Sunday’s games.
Dallas Cowboys (11-1) at New York Giants (8-4) – OK, the G-Men upset Dallas 20-19 earlier, but don’t be fooled. The Giants have no run game and are one-dimensional, while Dallas has a strong offence. They’ll clobber the Giants.
Seattle Seahawks (8-3-1) at Green Bay (6-6) – Aaron Rodgers is tough to beat at Lambeau in December, but he was very gimpy last week and hardly able to move. I don’t think Rodgers can scramble and beat this team. Take Seattle.
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) at Buffalo Bills (6-6) – This is a huge game for both clubs. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is healthy and sharp. Bills looked great versus Oakland Sunday but faded late. Same scenario against the Steelers.
Minnesota Vikings (6-6) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-9) – The Vikings need the win to maintain their slim playoff hopes. Their D is very tough and QB Sam Bradford should have his way with Jacksonville.
Arizona Cardinals (5-6-1) at Miami Dolphins (7-5) – Cards QB Carson Palmer looked sharp beating Washington and they must win in Florida or it’s bye-bye. They’ll beat the Fish.
