Western Capitals, Valley Wildcats go to OT for the second time this month

McGregor, Kennedy, MacAulay contribute to the Timberwolves’ win

Dylan Matthews of Mount Albion earned two assists to help the Valley Wildcats to a 4-3 overtime win over the visiting Summerside Western Capitals in the Maritime Junior Hockey League on Friday night. - Jason Simmonds

BERWICK, N.S. — For the second time this month, the Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals and Valley Wildcats required overtime.

Chad Wilson’s second goal of the game 29 seconds into the extra five-minute period on Friday night lifted the Wildcats to a 4-3 victory in the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) game played before 311 fans at the Kings Mutual Century Centre. The win gave the Wildcats a split in the two-game season series with the Caps, who got by Valley 5-4 on captain Josh MacDonald’s goal 47 seconds into overtime in Summerside on Nov. 7.

Ethan Landry, the first overall pick in the 2020 MHL Entry Draft, and Riley MacInnis also scored for the Wildcats, who improved to 4-3-1 (won-lost-overtime losses).

Landry has family connections to Prince Edward Island. His mother, Deanna Worth Landry, is a graduate of Three Oaks Senior High School in Summerside, and his grandmother, Norma Worth, resides at Noonan’s Shore in Borden-Carleton.

Dylan Matthews of Mount Albion and Aaron Brown each added two assists for the Wildcats. Single helpers went to Jack Olson and Blake Deacon.

Cole Edwards (1-1), Colby MacArthur and Owen Gilhula, who tied the game 3-3 at 11:07 of the third period, countered for the Capitals (2-1-1). MacDonald, Chris McQuaid and Nick Reeves picked up assists.

The Wildcats held period leads of 2-1 and 3-2.

Overall, the Capitals outshot the Wildcats 39-28, including a 21-11 advantage in the first period. Ben Gibbon earned the goaltending win over Mavrick Goyer.

The Capitals received three of the game's four minor penalties, which were all called in the second period.

The Wildcats were 1-for-3 on the power play while the Caps went 0-for-1.

The game’s three stars were:

1. Chad Wilson (Wildcats), 2. Ben Gibbon (Wildcats), 3. Cole Edwards (Capitals).

The Capitals are back in action on Saturday as the South Shore Lumberjacks (0-7-0) visit Eastlink Arena for a 7 p.m. faceoff.

Around the league

Elsewhere around the MHL on Friday night:

In Grand Falls, N.B., forwards Connor McGregor and Kennedy Gallant of Charlottetown and defenceman Lucas MacAulay of Cardigan contributed to the Miramichi Timberwolves’ 7-6 shootout win over the host Rapids. McGregor, who was named the game’s second star, had two goals and two assists while Gallant chipped in with a pair of assists, and MacAulay had a single helper.

McGregor has 10 points, including four goals, in six regular-season games, and Gallant improved his point total to seven, including one goal, in six games. MacAulay’s resumé this season includes two assists in five contests.

Campbellton Tigers forward and team captain Coleton Perry of North Bedeque earned two assists in a 4-3 loss to the visiting Fredericton Red Wings. Perry is averaging a point a game this season with four assists in four games.

In Yarmouth, N.S., Kensington native and goaltender Tyler Caseley stopped 27 of 30 shots for the Amherst Ramblers in a 4-1 loss to the host Mariners on Friday. Yarmouth scored its fourth goal into an empty net. In four games this season, Caseley has a 3-1-0 record, a 1.00 goals-against average and a .964 save percentage along with two shutouts.

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