TRURO, N.S. – For the 10th time in 15 years, a Truro Bearcats tandem has won the Young-Knickle award as the top goaltending duo in the Maritime Junior Hockey League.
Kevin Resop and Alec MacDonald combined to provide stellar goaltending this season for the Bearcats, allowing just 130 goals against. Resop, a former Halifax Moosehead of the QMJHL, played in 39 games and posted a 2.56 goals-against average and .911 save percentage, while MacDonald had a 2.13 goals-against average and .916 save percentage in 12 appearances.
“They worked hard for it in the back stretch of the regular season,” said Bearcats’ coach Shawn Evans. “They didn’t say too much to me about it, but it certainly was a team goal. I know it meant a lot to them.”
The last time the Bearcats had a duo win the award was 2015-16 with Jacob Fancy and Luke Melanson. Fancy also won it with Chris Festarini in 2013-14.
“They join a fine list of goaltenders to get their name on that award,” said Evans.
“For me, as a coach, besides the (MHL) championship, it’s an award that I’m most proud of.”
Meanwhile, veteran Bearcats centre Campbell Pickard was the recipient of the league’s character award and was named to the MHL all-star team.
“I’m pleased the fellow coaches and GMs in the league see his value,” said Evans. “Not only is he a character player on and off the ice, he’s one of the very best players in the league. It’s a team game, but I would not want to guess where we might be without him being on our team this year without him leading the charge.”
Pickard, a former QMJHL player, led the Bearcats in scoring this season with 34 goals and 35 assists for 69 points. He was fourth in league scoring.
The Halifax native played for the Miramichi Timberwolves last season and was traded to the Bearcats last summer.
“I’m just happy he wanted to move closer to home and I’m just happy we were able to get him to come here and play with us for a season; wish it could it have been longer,” said Evans.
A pair of Truro first-year players were also honoured, as defencemen Curtis Heffernan and Jack McGovern were named to the rookie all-star team. Other rookie all-star team members are Cole McLaren, G (Valley), Jordan Spence, D (Summerside), Maxime Grandmaison, LW (Edmundston), Liam Leonard, C (Edmundston) and Brent Broaders, RW (Yarmouth).
TJ Shea of the Summerside Western Capitals was named player of the year, while his teammate, Dominik Tmej, was named top goaltender. Mitchell Kreis of the Miramichi Timberwolves was the league’s top defenceman, while Summerside’s Spence captured rookie of the year honours. Laurie Barron of the Yarmouth Mariners was named coach of the year.
Other all-star team members are: Tmej, Kreis, Pierre-Luc Lurette, D (Campbellton), Kyle Ward, LW (Edmundston), Brodie Macarthur, LW (Summerisde), Jordan King, C (Amherst) and Shea.
The Bearcats and Mariners open their Eastlink South Division semifinal series Thursday in Yarmouth. Game 2 is Saturday in Truro at 7 p.m.
Heeding advice from a mentor
TRURO, N.S. – The Truro Bearcats sure are a stingy bunch, giving up a league-low 130 goals in 50 regular season MHL games.
It’s become the norm for the team, which takes great pride in its defensive prowess.
Some would even say the Bearcats’ defence-first mentality leads to a boring style, and quite frankly, Shawn Evans is OK with that.
“I learned from a guy a long time ago, who’s a lot smarter hockey person than I’ll ever be. He told me this, and I will never ever forget it; he said: ‘I’d rather be a boring winner than an exciting loser.’”
That man was Bruce Boudreau, a former Jack Adams award winner as the NHL’s coach of the year, whom Evans worked beside in the American Hockey League during the 2000-2001 season with the Lowell Lock Monsters.
Boudreau has been an NHL head coach since 2007 and is the current bench boss of the Minnesota Wild.
“A lot of what I do I learned from him,” said Evans.
