ALBERTON, P.E.I. — The Western Regals AAA Midgets have lived up to expectations.
The Regals downed Kings County Kings 2-0 on the road Sunday to take the P.E.I. Midget AAA Hockey League’s best-of-five championship series in four games.
“They were a good team,” Regals coach Jason Smallman complimented the Kings. “It was a hard-fought final.”
Except for a 10-3 Regals win at home, all games were close. Their second goal in the series-clincher was an empty-netter. They won their opener 3-2 in overtime and lost the second game of the series 3-2.” The Kings gave us everything we could handle, and it was a great series,” said Smallman.
The Regals, who are losing 10 players to graduation, finished the regular season in first place with 51 points in 27 games, 25 wins, one tie and one loss. The Kings finished second, 10 points back, in 28 games.
The Regals and Kings won their respective semi-final series three straight, with the Regals outscoring Central Attack 23-5 and the Kings getting by the Matrix 12-8.
Five Regals finished atop the playoff points race with Chase Gaudette leading the way with 16 points, eight goals and eight assists.
“He was good all year,” Smallman acknowledged. “I’d say the last half, when he turned it on, he led the way for us the rest of the way.” Smallman said he was expecting the Regals to be strong this season and, when four players returned to the team from the Kensington Wild, he knew it would be so. Gaudette, Thomas Rennie, Carter Cahill and Austin Callaghan had previously dressed with the major midget team.
While Gaudette and Kallim DesRoches were leading the way offensively, Cole Gallant and Aiden Williams were standing tall in goal.
Gallant is one of 10 players graduating from the team while Williams has two years of midget eligibility remaining. The pair finished first and second respectively in the league for goals against average.
Gallant never lost nor tied a regular season or play-off game all season, his only loss coming in a tournament game in Quebec, in overtime. Williams missed some of the first round of the playoffs while goaltending for P.E.I. in the Canada Games.
The Regals were in two tournaments this year, losing the Quebec tournament in the semi-finals, and winning the Spud.
Graduating from the Regals are Jacob Hogan, Carter Cahill, Conor Horne, Ethan Oliver, Thomas Shea, Thomas Rennie, Matt Williams, Chase Gaudette, James Doyle and Cole Gallant.
