KENSINGTON – The Kensington Monaghan Farms will play its final home game before Christmas on Saturday.
The Wild entertains the Saint John Vitos at Credit Union Centre in Kensington. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
It will be the second of back-to-back games for the Wild, who take a 15-2-1 (won-lost-overtime losses) record into Friday night’s road game against the Charlottetown Bulk Carriers Pride (8-9-1).
Kensington and the Moncton Flyers (15-1-1) enter weekend play tied for first place in the six-team league with 31 points each. The Flyers are scheduled to visit the Northern Moose (1-21-0) on Friday night, and host the Pride on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
Fifth meeting
Saturday will mark the fifth time the Vitos and Wild have met in regular-season play. Kensington has won three of the first four games – 6-5 in overtime in Kensington on Oct. 13, along with road decisions of 6-3 on Oct. 19 and 6-2 on the road Nov. 30. The Vitos’ defeated the Wild 6-4 in the season-opening game for both teams in Quispamsis, N.B., on Sept. 14.
Wild forward Dixon MacLeod has been red hot of late. He takes a nine-game point streak into Friday’s game, and had recorded 17 points during that stretch. MacLeod’s linemate, Colby MacArthur, has also put up some impressive offensive numbers since returning to the Wild after starting the season with the Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals of the MHL (Maritime Junior Hockey League). MacArthur recorded at least a point in 11 of his first 12 games with Wild averaging two points a game.
The third member of the Wild’s high-scoring line, Ryan Richards, who goes into Friday's action with a team-leading 28 points, had a nine-game point streak snapped against the Vitos on Nov. 30.
Schedule change
Due to the Wild, winners of the 2018 Monctonian AAA Challenge, participating in the 2018 CCM Midget AAA Challenge tournament in Chicoutimi, N.B., next week’s home game against Northern has been rescheduled for January.
After Saturday’s game, the Wild will not play at home until their annual Boxing Day game against Charlottetown at 7:30 p.m. That will begin a stretch of eight of the Wild’s final 13 regular-season games at Credit Union Centre.
