Sunday, March 29, 2026

Notebook: MacPherson named playoff MVP

Noah Murray/Charlottetown Islanders
MONCTON - Jase MacPherson was on the Saint John Sea Dogs bench a night after being named the most valuable player of the PEI under-18 provincial championship series.

MacPherson made 38 saves on Thursday to help the Kensington Wild defeat the Charlottetown Knights 3-2 and clinch the provincial title in six games. The 17-year-old went 4-1 in the final with a 2.57 goals against average and a .936 save percentage.

MacPherson faced 39 or more shots in every game against Charlottetown.

“I just played my game and worked hard out there,” MacPherson told the Journal Pioneer. “The boys helped me so much. I wouldn’t have gotten (the MVP award) without them.”

A second-round pick of Saint John in the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft, MacPherson appeared in one game for Saint John this season. MacPherson was Saint John's backup in Friday's playoff opener with Arseni Radkov still serving his suspension.

The Wild will represent PEI at Atlantics, which will take place April 1-5 in Quispamsis.

MHL GAME 7
The Summerside Western Capitals are moving on to the second round of the Maritime Junior Hockey League playoffs.

The Capitals defeated the Amherst Ramblers 1-0 in Game 7 on Saturday night. Eliott Robert scored the game's only goal while Caps netminder Kolton Bourret made 25 saves in the shutout.

The Capitals include former Sea Dogs goaltender Justin Robinson and defenseman Matthew MacLean. The Ramblers feature defenseman Jeremie Richard and forward Darrien Reynolds.

Summerside, who are hosting the Centennial Cup national championship in May, will face the Truro Bearcats in the South Division final. The North Division final, meanwhile, will feature the Edmundston Blizzard facing the Chaleur Lightning.

QUINNIPIAC DONE
Nate Tivey's first season of college hockey came to a close on Saturday in Sioux Falls.

Tivey and the Quinnipiac Bobcats fell 5-0 to the North Dakota Fighting Hawks in the regional final of the NCAA tournament. The Fighting Hawks advance to the Frozen Four with the win.

Tivey played 10:36 and finished a -1.The 22-year-old, who was Saint John's captain last season, finishes his freshman season with three goals and five assists in 38 games.

With Tivey and the Bobcats eliminated, no former Sea Dogs will play in this year's Frozen Four.

COYLE VIDEO
The QMJHL posted this (recruiting) video of Charlie Coyle talking about his time playing in Saint John. 
MERCYHURST HOCKEY DONE
Mercyhurst University, based in Erie, PA, announced Friday that they're cutting its NCAA DI men's hockey program.


The Division I Men’s Ice Hockey program will be discontinued following the conclusion of the current academic year. Mercyhurst will support all affected student-athletes by honoring athletics scholarships, providing academic advising, and assisting students who choose to pursue opportunities through the NCAA transfer portal.

The university will continue to support Women’s Division I Hockey and Men’s Club Hockey while maintaining a strong and competitive Division I athletics program.

This move will impact former Sea Dogs goaltender Charles-Edward Gravel, who has already entered the NCAA's transfer portal, essentially making him a free agent. The 22-year-old went 3-21-2 in his freshman season with the Lakers while posting a 3.22 goals against average and a .907 save percentage.

The Lakers were the second worst team in all of college hockey this season based on the NPI rankings.

OTHER THINGS
  • What a performance by Arseni Radkov on Saturday.
  • Updated the stats and records page to show this year's attendance figures and Saturday's overtime result.
    • Saint John surpassed the 100,000 fan mark for the first time since the 2022-23 season.
    • The Sea Dogs have lost four of their last five overtime playoff games.
  • Both the Sea Dogs and Wildcats were fined $500 following Friday's playoff opener for "failure to follow the rules for the warmup."
  • Sportslogos.net has a story on Saint John's Under Armour jerseys finally arriving.
  • Worth noting about Saint John's Under Armour jerseys: they use the English version of the QMJHL logo on the chest, something many of the other Atlantic teams are doing as well.
  • The QMJHL websites previews the eight teams from the Eastern Conference that qualified for the playoffs.
  • Thomas Chabot had surgery on a broken arm and is expected to miss four to eight weeks. A huge loss for the Ottawa Senators, who are in a playoff race.
  • Former Sea Dogs forward Raivis Ansons was called back up to the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this past week. Ansons has two goals and four assists in 26 AHL games this season and has another three goals and four assists in 11 ECHL games with the Wheeling Nailers.
  • The Dalhousie Marauders are Beausejour Senior Hockey League champions after completing a sweep of the Fredericton Express on Saturday. The Marauders' playoff roster included former Sea Dogs Dawson Stairs and Bailey Webster. The Express, meanwhile, included Ryan Tesink, Brett Gallant, Travis Fullerton and Alex Bishop.
  • Gavin McKenna and the Penn State Nittany Lions were eliminated from the NCAA tournament on Friday. McKenna's former team, the Medicine Hat Tigers, are poised for another long playoff run after posting a 50-10-5-3 record in the WHL's regular season. 
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