HOT CORNER: Wild a first-class organization in Kensington

The Kensington Monaghan Farms Wild will be looking to win another provincial major midget hockey championship on Saturday.
A win over the Charlottetown Bulk Carriers Pride on home ice will give the Wild their fourth Island championship in five years since moving from Cornwall – and that is impressive. I had a chance to talk with Wild owner Mike Gallant at Game 3 of the provincial championship series on March 10, and came away feeling even more impressed at how the Kensington organization is run. They do everything first class, and it is little wonder that they attract the talent they do from right across the province.
The Wild has a dressing room second to none. It’s done in Wild colors, complete with individual stalls, name plates and a big Wild logo in the middle of the floor. Even their bus is done with the Wild logo, which Gallant stated was paid for by players raising the money. It must – and should – be an honour to put on the team’s uniform.
Having the team in Kensington has attracted a lot more talent from western P.E.I., and that obviously has contributed to the on-ice success. Playing their home games on Saturday nights since Day 1 – and charging only a $5 admission fee for adults – makes this level of hockey a great bang for the buck. The team has enjoyed great success and support since moving to Kensington, and in the opinion of many is the perfect home for the Wild.
My conversation with Gallant concluded with him reflecting to a time when opposing teams from New Brunswick once asked, “Where’s Kensington?”
Well, going to the Atlantic championships three times, and hosting a very successful Atlantic tournament in the Wild’s second year of operation, had Gallant answering with pleasure, confidence and a wry smile, “They don’t ask anymore!”

University Cup
The UNB Varsity Reds are hosting the University Cup national men’s hockey championship this weekend in Fredericton for the second consecutive year, and the sixth time since 2003.
It started on Thursday, and the Reds beat the Concordia Stingers 8-1. That puts them in Saturday’s semifinal against the St. Francis Xavier X-Men, which can be seen on Sportsnet. Bedeque native Gardiner MacDougall is in his 18th year coaching the Varsity Reds, and has won six national titles in the last 11 years of the championship. The Reds finished second in three of the other five, which makes for an incredible run of nine final appearances in the last 11 years.
A very, very impressive run, especially when one looks at how our own UPEI Panthers have done since the University Cup started way back 55 years ago in 1963. The Panthers have never won the Cup, and have never made a final appearance. The 1965 Saint Dunstan’s Saints lost in the 1965 national final. UPEI last won an Atlantic title 28 years ago in 1991.
Sunday’s national final can be seen on Sportsnet at 2 p.m., and the Reds are hoping to be in it once again.

NHL
The NHL season has only three weeks left in the regular season, and playoff matchups are very much up in the air. The Vegas Golden Knights are playoff bound in the very tight Western Conference. The Knights could play any one of eight teams in the first round as all eight are separated by only six points.
In the Eastern Conference, the standings are not quite as close, but playoff matchups are also up in the air. The only definite matchup has Toronto playing either Boston or Tampa Bay. It will be too bad to see a very good team out in the first round, but either series will be a dandy.
The closeness of the league standings will make for a lot of great playoff like hockey over the final weeks.
Have a great week!

Joe MacIntyre is a Summerside resident. His column appears every Saturday. Comments and suggestions can be sent to [email protected].