SUMMERSIDE – Kallum Muirhead and Chris Chaddock ignited the offence as the Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals bounced back to earn a weekend split on Monday.
Muirhead netted a hat trick while Chaddock drew four assists as the Caps outscored the St. Stephen Aces 7-1 in an Islander Day matinee after a 7-4 road loss to the Campbellton Tigers on Saturday night.
“It was just one of those games where the puck was coming to me,” said Muirhead, who has 29 points, including 17 goals, in 26 contests. “Most importantly, we still played a great team game.”
The Caps are in second place in the Eastlink North Division at 28-15-1-0 (won-lost-overtime losses). Summerside is seven points up on the Miramichi Timberwolves (22-15-3-3) in the race for home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs in the MHL (Maritime Junior Hockey League).
The Caps were missing forward TJ Shea on Monday. Shea, who leads the MHL in scoring with 97 points in 42 games, is listed as day to day after he was injured in Saturday’s game. Caps head coach Billy McGuigan said after Monday’s game that it’s expected Shea, who is from Anglo/Tignish, will return for Saturday’s game against the Truro Bearcats (23-17-1-1) at the Tignish Credit Union Arena. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
Caps 7 Aces 1
Before 1,430 fans at Eastlink Arena, the Caps peppered Aces goaltender Jack Grant with 65 shots. The period advantages were 24-5, 15-13 and 26-13. Grant kept the score respectable until the Caps scored three times, including two by Hunter McTague on the same shift, in the final five minutes of the third period.
Brodie MacArthur and Zach Thususka also scored for the Caps, who received assists from Sebastien Cormier (3), Austin Taylor (2), Thomas Harper, Josh MacDonald, Morgan MacDonald and Sam Lau.
Joseph Crump opened the game’s scoring for the Aces (9-33-0-1), who trailed 2-1 after one and 3-1 following 40 minutes.
The Caps held period leads of 2-1 and 3-1.
Winning goaltender Alex Bishop made 30 saves.
The game’s three stars were:
1. Kallum Muirhead (Caps), 2. Chris Chaddock (Caps), 3. Sebastien Cormier (Caps).
Coleton Perry of North Bedeque is in his rookie season with the Campbellton Tigers of the MHL (Maritime Junior Hockey League).
Tigers 7 Caps 4
Before 712 fans at the Campbellton Memorial Civic Centre, Coleton Perry of North Bedeque ignited a third-period outburst by the Tigers.
Perry, who has 12 points in 39 games, scored his fourth goal of his rookie campaign 50 seconds into the third period, and the Tigers would score four unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes.
The teams were tied 2-2 after the first period, and the Caps took a 4-3 lead into the final frame after holding a 4-2 advantage at one point.
Pier-Olivier Michaud (1-1), Luc Arsenault (1-1), Pierre-Luc Lurette, Tommy Callaghan, Jacob Roberts and Charles-William Gagne also scored for the Tigers (21-18-2-2).
Cormier (2), Jordan Spence (1-1) and Cam Roberts countered for the Caps.
Overall, the Tigers, who won all three regular-season games against the Caps in Campbellton this season, held a 31-23 shots-on-goal advantage.
Tristan Gray earned the goaltending win, and Dominik Tmej took the loss.
The game’s three stars were:
1. Jacob Roberts (Tigers), 2. Sebastien Cormier (Caps), 3. Pier-Olivier Michad (Tigers).
[email protected]
Twitter.com/JpsportsJason
https://www.facebook.com/jason.simmonds.180
