Summerside Western Capitals meet Tigers in what is expected to be close division final

SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — It will be offence versus defence.

That’s one of the storylines as the Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals and Campbellton Tigers continue pursuing the MHL’s (Maritime Junior Hockey League) Canadian Tire Cup. Game 1 in the best-of-seven Eastlink North Division final is Saturday in Summerside at 7 p.m.

“They are a hard team to play against, they have great defence, their forwards work hard, they have good goaltending and they have the Twin Towers in (Pierre-Luc) Lurette and (Francis) Thibeault, who were the top defencemen in the league this year,” said Caps head coach Billy McGuigan. “We have some high-octane scoring, so it’s going to be high offence versus a real solid defence.”

Tigers head coach Greg Leland said his club is facing “a great team” with lots of depth.

“They had the most goals for (247) and least against (120), and that leads to 40 wins in a 50-game season,” said Leland. “Their whole team is deep at every position, so we are going to have our hands full.

“Hopefully we will play to who we are, play hard and tough defensively, and try to keep it as close as we can. I’m looking for a long series, but with teenagers who knows?”

How Western Capitals and Campbellton Tigers compare:

Regular Season

Records: Caps: 40-8-2, Tigers: 31-13-6
Goals-For and Against: Caps: 247/120, Tigers: 183/127
Points Leaders: Caps: Brodie MacArthur, 110, Tigers: Pierre-Luc Lurette, 48

Playoffs

Records: Caps: 4-0, Tigers: 4-1
Goals-For and Against: Caps: 18/8, Tigers: 21/7
Points Leaders: Caps: Sullivan Sparkes, 8, Tigers: Jared Janke, Dawson Stairs, tied with 6

What may get overlooked, noted Leland, is the Caps’ defence, which is often overshadowed by the team’s offence and goaltending.

“Their back end is good, too,” stressed Leland. “Don’t get me wrong, we might have had Thibeault and Lurette on the first all-star team, and deservedly so, but they have guys like (Jesse) Annear, who I think is still hurt, (Conor) MacEachern, (Noah) Massie, they are good players. It’s not like their back end is not as good as ours.”

MacEachern, who is from Charlottetown, said the Caps want to “play aggressive” and a “fast-paced” style.

“They are a great defensive team, they are well coached and it’s definitely going to be a challenge to put pucks by them,” said MacEachern, 20.

“They had the most goals for (247) and least against (120), and that leads to 40 wins in a 50-game season. Their whole team is deep at every position, so we are going to have our hands full. Hopefully we will play to who we are, play hard and tough defensively, and try to keep it as close as we can. I’m looking for a long series, but with teenagers who knows?” -Campbellton Tigers head coach Greg Leland

Close games

Although Summerside won six of seven regular-season matchups against Campbellton, four were one-goal games, and three required overtime.

“We match up well against them, and the games have been tight,” said Leland. “We’ve played well over (in Summerside) for some reason.

“(Caps goaltender) Dominik (Tmej) threw a 59-save shutout at us, we lost in a shootout the last game of the year over there and we played really well and beat them 5-0.

“The games over here were the same. I think two went to overtime, one was a 4-0 shutout and they scored two in the third. The games have been really close, so that indicates that the two teams have been relatively evenly-matched, although they certainly have more offence than we do. There is no question about that.”

MacEachern noted all games “were played a pretty high pace” against Campbellton.

“They always showed up with a 100-per-cent effort, and that’s what we are to expect this series,” he added.

Summerside Western Capitals forward Dylan Riley steers the puck away from Joel Walker of the Campbellton Tigers during recent MHL (Maritime Junior Hockey League) action in Summerside.

Special teams

The Capitals clearly had the better power play in the first round, clicking at 38.9 per cent compared to the Tigers’ 12.5 per cent. But Campbellton’s penalty killing was much better than Summerside’s – 94.7 per cent compared to 78.9.

“This time of the year you do not want to go to the penalty box, and stay as disciplined as you possibly can,” said McGuigan.

Is there anything in particular Leland can point to that could decide this series?

“You know what, there isn’t,” he answered. “It’s like any playoff series in any league, goaltending (will be important).

“If you get up against a hot goalie either way, things can tilt the favour, a key injury can tilt the scales. Both teams are pretty deep, so it’s not like if one person went out it would be a big drop off.

“Usually, it’s goaltending and Xs and Os are important, but they usually go out the window at this stage because it’s all about competing hard, being a selfless player and looking out for your teammates. I will never say one thing, but goaltending is always key. There are good goalies on both sides.”

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