KENSINGTON, P.E.I. — The Kensington Monaghan Farms Wild is in the stretch drive of the 2018-19 New Brunswick/P.E.I. Major Midget Hockey League regular season.
The Wild, who sits comfortably in second place at 23-6-1 (won-lost-overtime losses) but eight points back of the first-place Moncton Flyers (27-3-1), will host the Fredericton Caps (7-18-4) at Credit Union Centre in Kensington on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
The Wild will be missing four regular players – Jack Campbell, Lucas Parsons, Isaac Wilson and Zac Arsenault – along with head coach Kyle Dunn and equipment manager David (Gonzo) Bernard – to suspensions on Saturday.
After Wednesday’s game against the Northern Moose (1-27-2) was postponed due to the weather, the Wild comes in off a full week’s rest. Kensington’s last game was a 9-1 win over the Moose on Jan. 26.
The Wild will look to continue its success on home ice as they have a 12-1-1 record in the friendly confines of the former Community Gardens this season.
Team leaders
Offensively, third-year forward Colby MacArthur of Summerside leads the Wild with 43 points – 17 goals and 26 assists – in 24 games. Sophomore forward Dixon MacLeod of Cornwall has scored a team-high 18 goals, including seven on the power play. Third-year forward Ryan Richards of Cornwall has registered a team-leading 27 assists.
Josh Smith leads the Wild with 13 goaltending wins while Chad Arsenault sports a team-best .919 save percentage. Arsenault and Smith have identical 2.52 goals-against averages.
The Wild has received strong fan support this season, and is looking for that to continue on Saturday.
Kensington’s remaining home games after Saturday include a contest against the Charlottetown Bulk Carriers Pride (15-13-1) on Feb. 9 in a preview of the best-of-seven provincial major midget championship series following regular-season play, and a yet-to-be-scheduled make-up date against Northern.
