With momentum on their side, the Capitals return home with a 2-0 lead in the MHL’s (Maritime Junior Hockey League) Roger Meek Division semifinals.
However, Caps head coach Billy McGuigan doesn’t expect an easy ride the rest of the way in the best-of-seven series.
“There are no easy games in the playoffs and we’re playing a good team that works really hard, so it’s going to be a battle,” said McGuigan.
The Caps took Game 1 at home by a 4-2 score on Sunday, and won Game 2 on the road Tuesday night 2-1.
“They’ve played incredibly hard so far in the series,” McGuigan said. “They’ve worked the hardest, and we expect the same thing coming back here.
“It’s a make-or-break kind of game for them, so it’s going to be a tough one.”
The Caps have received goals from forward Jonathan Aubertin in both games, as well as two-point performances from Chris Caissy.
Depth at forward has been an advantage for the Caps all year, McGuigan said, but their rearguards shouldn’t be overlooked.
“I think the key to our team is our defence,” McGuigan said. “All six or seven of our defence are playing well.”
Despite the fact the Caps have won 11 games in a row and 25 of their last 26, McGuigan said there’s still room to improve.
“There are no easy games in the playoffs and we’re playing a good team that works really hard, so it’s going to be a battle.” - Caps head coach Billy McGuigan
“We’ve got to be better in our execution of our systems and making tape-to-tape passes,” assessed McGuigan. “We’ve got to continue with our philosophy and our game plan.”
Kevin Bailie will be back between the pipes for Summerside. McGuigan made the decision to go with Bailie for Game 1, before switching to Jacob Riley for Game 2. The pair has basically split goaltending duties since the Caps acquired Bailie in January.
The pattern will hold until McGuigan has reason to do any differently, he said.
“We’ll just continue to rotate our goaltenders until we see a time fit when we can’t any longer, or until one of them steals the job,” said McGuigan.
In the meantime, it seems to be working out just fine for the Caps.
“As long as they’re both playing well, it’s a great scenario,” added the head coach.
Game three will take place 7 p.m. at Credit Union Place.
In the other Roger Meek Division semifinal, the Woodstock Slammers took a 1-0 lead over the Dieppe Commandos into Game 2 in Dieppe on Wednesday night.
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