SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — The Summerside Team Three Capitals’ atom squad won their second championship banner of the 2018-19 season recently.
The Caps went 5-0 (won-lost) en route to winning the annual Robert Purdy Memorial tournament in Saint John, N.B.
The Caps, behind Nolan Aiken’s shutout goaltending, blanked the Fredericton North Stars 3-0 in the championship game featuring a pair of undefeated teams.
Griffen Campbell’s backhand goal off a rebound was all the offence the Caps would need. With Aiken preserving a 1-0 lead, the Caps added some insurance in the third period. Sean Borden tapped in a shot by Austin Martyris that squeezed through the goalie’s pads to make it 2-0, and Dawsyn MacAusland closed out the game’s scoring.
Aiken was named the most valuable player of the final.
Semifinals
The Caps’ road to the final was not an easy one as they had to overcome a 3-0 deficit after one period to outscore the Woodstock Slammers 6-5 in the semifinals.
With Woodstock leading 4-2, the Caps’ Deklen Oatway exploded for three goals in an incredible 17-second span to give the Caps a 5-4 lead after two periods.
Campbell scored Summerside’s sixth goal, which proved to be the winner, and make it 6-4. A late Woodstock goal set the stage for an exciting finish, which included Aiken making a glove save with one second remaining to preserve the victory.
Harper Leard and Dawsyn MacAusland also scored for Summerside.
Round robin
In round-robin play, the Capitals defeated the Hampton Knights 4-2, Saint John Storm 3-2 and Kennebecasis Valley Devils 11-2.
