KENSINGTON – It’s a photo Ethan Beaulieu and Colby MacArthur are accustomed to posing for.
A picture with a Hockey P.E.I. championship banner.
Beaulieu and MacArthur recently won their sixth provincial title in a row. The pair’s run began with two titles in peewee AAA while playing with the Summerside Capitals, two more in major bantam with the O’Leary-based Prince County Warriors and they have raised the provincial major midget championship trophy with the Kensington Monaghan Farms Wild the last two years.
“We’ve played on some pretty good teams with some great coaches,” said MacArthur, a forward who was second in Wild team scoring with 41 points – 17 goals and 24 assists – in 35-regular-season games. “We’ve had a lot of heart on our teams.”
Beaulieu, a hard-hitting defenceman, added: “We’ve been on good teams, and had good coaches all six years to help us get through.”
Kensington Monaghan Farms Wild defenceman Ethan Beaulieu of Borden-Carleton makes a pass during a New Brunswick/P.E.I. Major Midget Hockey League game in Kensington earlier this season.
No substitute
Wild head coach Kyle Dunn said there’s no substitute for the experience the two 16-year-old students at Three Oaks Senior High School in Summerside, have gained in learning what it takes to win.
“You love having those guys on your team,” said Dunn. “Last year, it paid off in boatloads down 3-1 (against Charlottetown), and you rally around those guys who know how to win and to come back.
“Then this year, when you are up (2-0 and 3-1), obviously those guys know you haven’t won anything until you are hoisting that trophy. It’s a great thing to have champions like that on your team.”
Beaulieu agreed that players can draw on past experiences.
“We always have a winning attitude in the (dressing) room,” said Beaulieu, who quietly registered 21 points in 33 regular-season games, including a team-leading 11 power-play assists. “No one really gets down, and having a lot of wins helps.”
When asked if there is any particular championship that stands out over the others, Beaulieu answered: “I kind of like the very first one, my first year of peewee. We went to Newfoundland and got a bronze medal there (at the Atlantic championship).”
Forward Colby MacArthur of Summerside controls the puck behind the net for the Kensington Monaghan Farms Wild during a New Brunswick/P.E.I. Major Midget Hockey League contest in Kensington earlier this season.
MacArthur agreed, adding he would love to add that elusive regional championship to his resumé.
“We went to Atlantics the last five years and haven’t won yet, but that’s something we are really looking forward to,” said the son of Rodney and Kim MacArthur of Summerside.
Day 1
The Wild begins play with a very tough Day 1 at the Atlantic major midget hockey championship tournament in Lantz, N.S., on Thursday. The Wild faces the Nova Scotia-champion Dartmouth Steele Subaru at 2 p.m., and then takes on the host Cole Harbour Wolfpack at 8 p.m.
“A good start is huge,” emphasized MacArthur. “We play two games the first day, and if we lose both of them we are pretty much out.
“We have to be ready for the two Nova Scotia teams right off the bat.”
Beaulieu said there is one key adjustment the Wild will have to make at the Atlantics.
“I always find it’s faster, so you have to bring your best game,” offered the son of Richard and Tracy Beaulieu of Borden-Carleton. “There’s a lot bigger people over there, too.”
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