Western Capitals Collect Three Points During Nova Scotia Road Trip

By Reegan MacAulay / Photo by Ken Chetwynd

The Summerside Western Capitals picked up three of six possible points during a three-game road trip through Nova Scotia, earning a shootout point against the Valley Wildcats before splitting a weekend series with the Yarmouth Mariners.

Summerside opened the trip Friday night in Berwick against the league-leading Wildcats. The Western Capitals battled back twice before eventually falling 4-3 in a shootout.

Jordan Shaw opened the scoring at 13:38 of the first period with a shorthanded goal, assisted by Maverick Hayes. Valley responded with two second-period goals, including one at 1:41, both scored by Jacob Pineau, to take a 2-1 lead into the third period.

Aiden Diamond tied the game 2-2 at 7:23 of the final regulation frame on the power play, with assists to Shaw and Lane Sim. Felix Belanger helped the Wildcats regain the lead at 14:24, and Sim tied it again at 19:16 on the power play, with assists to Ouellette and Ashton Campbell.

Neither team found the winner in overtime, forcing a shootout, where Valley’s Sam Hope scored the lone goal to secure the Wildcats a 4-3 victory.

The Western Capitals continued their road trip Saturday night in Yarmouth, beginning a two-game rematch with the Mariners after sweeping their two-game home series the previous weekend.

The game took until 19:09 for the opening goal, with Maverick Hayes firing home Summerside’s 1-0 goal. The Western Capitals extended their lead to three with two quick goals at 8:29 (Matthew Andersen’s first MHL goal from Lane Sim and the recently acquired Aidan Silvaggio) and 9:48 (Declan MacLauchlan) of the second period.

Ewan Cleary put Yarmouth on the board just 10 seconds after MacLauchlan’s goal, but that’s all the Mariners had in the tank on Saturday. Justin Ouellette’s third-period marker at 15:36, assisted by MacLauchlan and Cade Moser, sealed the deal for a 4-1 Summerside win.

Recently acquired goaltender Cesare Della Santina turned aside 20 shots to earn his first win as a Western Capital in his first game. He was the game’s second star, and MacLauchlan earned first-star honours with one goal and one assist.

The two teams met again on Sunday afternoon to close out the weekend, with the Mariners striking back for a feisty, penalty-filled 5-3 decision (compared to the previous night’s tame affair) despite a late Summerside push.

After a scoreless first period, Yarmouth opened the floodgates in the second frame, scoring three goals in 6:40, including one on the power play, to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Owen King (2) and Grayson Pardy claimed the goals.

King added another at 4:44 of the third period, followed by Riley Creelman at 13:49 on the power play to lead 5-0.

The Western Capitals refused to go quietly, however, piling on three goals in the final 4:38 of regulation. Kaidan Sahajpal broke an eight-game goal skid at 15:22, while Lincoln Waugh scored twice at 18:50 (assists by MacLauchlan and Moser) and 19:59 (assist by MacLauchlan) to cut the deficit to two. Ultimately, the Mariners held on to secure a 5-3 win.

Della Santina made 31 saves for Summerside in his second consecutive start. Waugh was the game’s third star.

Following the weekend, Summerside sits third in the Eastlink South Division with a 9-7-1 record (19 points), one point behind Truro and five ahead of Amherst. In the league standings, the Western Capitals sit fifth, one point behind a tie for third and one point ahead of Chaleur. They are now 5-4-1 in their last 10 games and 4-7-1 on the road.

While the road hasn’t been kind to Summerside, the Western Capitals remain perfect at home (5-0) and will look to keep the good times rolling with three home games over six days at Credit Union Place.

Their next game is Thursday, November 5, against the Truro Bearcats; a rematch of the September 12 season opener in Truro, which Summerside dropped 6-3. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available at www.creditunionplace.ca.