Western Capitals Split Weekend Road Trip, Earn First Win of ’26-27 Season

By Reegan MacAulay / Photo by Edmundston Blizzard

The Summerside Western Capitals split the second and third games of their four-game season-opening road swing, falling 7-2 to the Edmundston Blizzard on Saturday, September 19, before bouncing back with a 7-2 victory over the Grand Falls Rapids on Sunday, September 20, to secure their first win of the 2026-27 Maritime Hockey League regular season.

Summerside first took on the Blizzard on Saturday at Centre Jean Daigle in Edmundston, N.B., with both teams looking to rebound after dropping their season-opening matches.

The Western Capitals got off to a tough start, allowing three goals in roughly 15 minutes from William Labranche, Charles-Eric Tremblay, and Francois-Xavier Mercier.

A couple of minutes later, Lane Sim put Summerside on the board, sniping a shot from the bottom of the right faceoff circle on the power play to cut the deficit to two.

The Western Capitals kept the shots close through the first two periods but struggled to shift the momentum in their favour as the Blizzard scored two more goals at 11:08 and 15:36 of the second period. Justin Bouchard and William Labranche found the back of the net to give Edmundston a 5-1 lead.

At 2:22 in the third period, Owen MacPherson cut into the deficit, finishing a nice tic-tac-toe play to bring Summerside within three.

The Blizzard responded with two more goals, with Noah Larochelle and Michael Arsenault scoring at 9:13 and 16:01 to cap off a 7-2 Blizzard win.

Goaltender Vincent Gladu started the game and denied 15 shots before being pulled for Max Picard for the third period. Picard stopped eight shots.

Edmundston led 30-17 in shots and went 1-for-4 on the power play; Summerside went 1-for-5.

The Western Capitals returned to the ice the following day, Sunday, to challenge the Grand Falls Rapids at E. & P. Senechal Centre in Grand Falls, N.B.

With the Rapids coming off a close loss to Amherst on Saturday at home, Summerside looked to capitalize and capture their first win of the season. Indeed, the third time was the charm.

The Western Capitals got off to a hot start, scoring at 7:23 and 9:33 of the first period to take a 2-0 lead. At the right-wing boards, Gavin Smith found Matthew MacLean in the low slot, who tipped Smith’s feed into the net for the first goal, while Declan MacLauchlan fired home his first MHL goal for the second.

In the second period, Matthew Ferdinand and Isaac Taweel extended Summerside’s lead to four with goals at 7:37 and 12:13. Ferdinand scored on a rebound off a shot by Maverick Hayes for his first marker as a Western Cap, while Taweel also recorded his first with a low shot from the left circle.

Minutes later, the Rapids trimmed Summerside’s lead in half, with Jonah Leard and Patrick Baxter scoring at 17:12 and 18:54.

But the Western Capitals wouldn’t be denied, as Justin Ouellette and MacPherson scored exactly one minute apart early in the third period. Ouellette, in the high slot, one-timed a feed from Aiden Diamond at 5:32, while MacPherson snuck a shot underneath Dax Robichaud at 6:32.

Ouellette later collected a pass from Jordan Shaw and sped down the ice on a breakaway, scoring at 12:24 and popping the water bottle with his second tally of the game to seal the deal for Summerside’s first win of the season, 7-2.

Picard earned his first MHL win in his first start, making 22 saves. Summerside led 40-24 in shots.

Following the weekend, head coach and assistant general manager Billy McGuigan shared his thoughts on the team’s weekend and season so far.

“We’ve seen some good things through these first three games, but we know there is still a lot of work to do. I liked the way our group responded today after the loss (on Saturday) and found a way to get a win on the road,” said McGuigan.

“We’re continuing to build our identity, as this is very much a new group playing together for the first time, and the focus now is on bringing that same compete level and consistency into our next game.

“We’ll continue to practice hard and be ready for Pictou on Thursday and our home opener on Saturday.”

The Western Capitals continue their four-game road swing on Thursday, September 24, when they travel to Pictou County to face the Weeks Crushers.

Summerside will then return home for its 2026-27 home opener against the Weeks Crushers on Saturday, September 26, at Credit Union Place.

SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Fans can now secure their seats for the 2026–27 Summerside Western Capitals season.

Season tickets are on sale now at: sside.ca/Capitals-SeasonTickets

The Western Capitals look forward to welcoming fans back to Credit Union Place for another season of hockey.