Saints hockey jumps out to early lead in CISAA standings

December 2, 2015 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte

The reigning CISAA hockey champions are picking up right where they left off.

In what is always a hectic divisional schedule, the St. Andrew’s College (SAC) Saints first hockey program are out the gate with a 3 – 1 record in local division play after the first week.

Hosting Appleby College last Wednesday at LaBrier Family Arena, the Saints peppered Appleby goalie Nicolas Solari with 41 shots, Cole Chapman earning the shutout in a 5 – 0 victory over the Blue Dogs.

Senior Alex MacDonald, who put up a point-a-game performance in his first year with the varsity squad last season, seems poised to lead the Saints’ offense this year after picking up three points in the game.

The 2014 draft pick of the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles matched his efforts in Friday’s tilt with the Nichols School Vikings, putting up a goal and two assists in a 6 – 3 win. He notched the game-winning goal midway through the third period, while William Serman added another and Regan Kimens scored an empty-netter in the victory.

Chapman was stellar once again in stopping 28 of the 31 shots he faced.

For the third game in a row, MacDonald put up a goal and two assists in a 5 – 3 winning effort against Appleby on Saturday. The back-and-forth affair was a much closer battle than the teams’ earlier meeting, the Saints barely holding on to a one-goal lead in their own end before Mack Falconer notched an empty-netter in the final seconds.

40 more shots found their way to the opposing goal.

Ridley College was the first CISAA team to solve the Saints with a 4 – 2 win on Sunday, but it came only with a tremendous effort from their goaltending. Chris McGonigle was forced to contend with 54 shots from the SAC offense, while Chapman was tagged with his first loss in facing 26.

Another goal on the board has MacDonald at the top of the divisional scoring leaders, although the Saints’ independent schedule has them as the only divisional team to squeeze in four games so far.

The Saints travel to Culver Military Academy in Indiana this weekend for a couple of independent matchups.

For more information, visit www.sachockey.ca.