CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – The Charlottetown Islanders should find out if they are still an elite Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team tonight when they meet the first overall team, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.
Game time is 7 p.m. at Eastlink Centre.
The Western Conference-leading Huskies improved their chances of making it to the Memorial Cup in Halifax in May by landing highly regarded Summerside defenceman Noah Dobson. The six-foot-three blue-liner, who was a standout for Team Canada in the recent world junior championships in Vancouver, joins a club that had allowed 85 goals in its first 40 games.
Dobson’s presence on a club with the league’s best goalie in Sam Harvey and a tough defence tells me Rouyn-Noranda will be the club to beat when playoff time rolls around. The Huskies have plenty of scoring with guys like Peter Abbandonato, Alex Beaucage, Joel Teasdale and Rafael Harvey-Pinard, plus rookie Czech standout JaKob Lauko, a third-round pick of the Boston Bruins.
Some Charlottetown fans believe the club is just as strong, or stronger, as before the trades. I’m not that optimistic, although I am well aware of head coach Jim Hulton’s work with modestly talented clubs.
One Islander player that has stepped up his game is speedster Thomas Casey, who has looked like Boston’s Brad Marchand in recent games. The Islanders had their five-game win streak snapped in a 6-2 Wednesday loss in Cape Breton and they will need a big game from the league’s goaltender of the week Matthew Welsh, if they hope to upset Dobson and the Huskies tonight.
In other local hockey news, the Canada Games is just a month away and the P.E.I. boys and girls teams are preparing for the tournament in Red Deer, Alta.
This year, in what is believed to be the first time ever, a brother and sister will compete in hockey for P.E.I. at the same Canada Games. Max Chisolm, 15, is a promising forward with the Charlottetown Bulk Carriers Pride under head coach Luke Beck but at the Canada Games, starting Feb. 14, he’ll be playing for Kyle Dunn, who is also head coach of the arch-rival Kensington Monaghan Farms Wild.
Mya Chisolm, 17, now plays at The Mount under Kenny MacDougall but when she travels to Canada Games the week after her brother, she’ll be playing for Chris Harkness, who had previously been an assistant coach at UPEI.
David Chisolm, a top senior baseball, hockey and golf athlete in his playing days here in Charlottetown and now a Summerside resident, and his wife Julie, a top athlete at Three Oaks Senior High (TOSH) in her day, are the proud parents.
Also Summerside-related, a thank you to two of the town’s greatest ever hockey defencemen. Lloyd (Toy Toy) Gallant, who played at St Michael’s when they were an OHA power, and Bill Dickie, who played four years with the top junior team in this region – the Halifax Junior Canadians along with his buddy Paul MacWilliams in the mid-1960’s, dropped off two dozen smelts right out of the Summerside harbour to the Sports Prophet a week ago – just in time for the NFL wild card games. Next time boys, have them cleaned.
Basketball
The Island Storm must be giving head coach Tim Kendrick sleepless nights as they headed into Friday’s game on a long losing streak.
In Sunday’s game in Sydney, N.S., the Storm led 96-92 in the final minute but a missed layup, and a couple of unforced turnovers in the final seconds, turned victory into a one-point defeat.
The Storm entertains the Halifax Hurricanes Sunday at 2 p.m. at Eastlink Centre in what is called Newcomers Game, as The Storm welcome newcomers to P.E.I.
Halifax added all-star Terry Thomas to their line-up earlier this week while the Storm has Guillaume Boucard, obtained in the Brad States trade with St. John’s. Also Sunday, the Storm will honour longtime supporter and popular P.E.I. sports figure Mauro (Stats) Corazza, who will be leaving for British Columbia next week. Stats will be on the bench with his club, a nice gesture for a great community guy.
Harness racing
Live harness racing continues today at 12:30 p.m. with a 13-dash card. The $2,200 feature has Euchred and Rollwithitharry in a field of seven.
Standout pacer Sock It Away is headed to Yonkers and the stable of trainer Andrew Harris.
At Mohawk Monday, Springbridgevision stepped to a new lifetime best of 1:55:4, last quarter in 27:4, in winning a $16,000 event for driver James MacDonald and Charlottetown trainer Andrew Moore, who co-owns with his dad Allan Moore, the former auditor general of this province.
Also on the card, Cartoon Daddy, trained by Rachel Andrew, was second beaten a nose in 1:55:2 for a $11,000 purse.
The Colonel (by Western Paradise) was second by a nose for trainer Jean-Guy Belliveau in 1:54:3 for a $16,000 purse.
Charlottetown’s Robert Shepherd, coming off a career year in 2018, bagged six wins on the Sunday card at Flamboro, including the $11,500 feature with Deetzy in 1:54:2 over a tough class, including recent winner Lincoln Jamaes (Harry Poulton).
Robert’s brother, Patrick, who had a monster year himself in the training side of the business put young P.E.I. driver Austin Sorrie down on Lady Orb last Tuesday night at Western Fair and the pair finished in the winner’s circle with a 2:05 mile versus claimers.
Also at Western Fair, the Shepherds combined for a $6,500 trot win with Bill Lanigan’s Daisy River in 2:03:3. Kendall Seelster looks the best in tonight’s $30,000 feature at Mohawk against horses like Double A Mint, P L Hurricane, Request for Parole and three others.
Pigskin picks
The NFL playoffs continue with a pair of games today and two more Sunday.
Today’s Games
Indianapolis Colts (11-6) at Kansas City Chiefs (12-4) – The Chiefs led the league in sacks and have a tough pass rush, which should prevent Colts QB Andrew Luck from getting time to find receivers. Chiefs should – and will – win big today.
Dallas Cowboys (11-6) at Los Angeles Rams (13-3) – The Cowboys stopped the Seattle run game cold last week at home, but today they’re on the road. Rams have a shutdown cornerback in Aqib Talib, which should nullify key receiver Amari Cooper. This should be a cliff-hanger but Rams by a field goal, maybe.
Sunday’s Games
Los Angeles Chargers (13-4) at New England Patriots (11-5) – Chargers Phil Rivers has never beaten Pats QB Tom Brady (0-7 counting playoffs) but that could end this weekend. The Chargers defence impressed last week as they swarmed Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson throughout en route to the 23-17 win. I believe they’ll do the same to Brady, and although I never bet against Brady and Bill Belichick at Foxboro, I like the Chargers to win.
Philadelphia Eagles (10-7) at New Orleans Saints (13-3) – The Saints mauled the Eagles in regular season play but now they face a red-hot QB in Nick Foles, who has won nine of the last 10. Eagles have the third worst pass defence in the NFL and against Drew Brees that’s not healthy. Saints by a touchdown.
Fred MacDonald's column appears every Saturday in The Guardian. He can be reached at [email protected].
