The Fred Page Cup begins in Amherst, N.S. on Wednesday, May 1st. Playoff champions from the LHJQ (Princeville Titan), Maritime Junior Hockey League (Yarmouth Mariners), and Central Canada Hockey League (Ottawa Jr. Senators) join the host Amherst Ramblers for the right to represent the Eastern Canada Jr. A ranks in the National Jr. A Championship in Brooks, AB from May 11th to 19th. The MHL is hosting the Fred Page Cup for the first time since 2016 when the Carleton Place Canadians won their third straight tournament championship with a 4-2 victory over the host Woodstock Slammers.
This is the 25th Fred Page Cup. The CCHL has won 12 times, the MHL seven times, and the LHJQ five times. The CCHL has captured four of the past five. The last MHL team to win the tournament was the 2013 Truro Bearcats, who beat the Royal Bank Cup-host Summerside Western Capitals on home ice in double overtime.
Nova Scotia has played host the Fred Page Cup five times before this season. In each of those tournaments, a Nova Scotia team reached the final, posting a 3-2 record in the championship game. Half of this year’s participants, of course, are from Nova Scotia.
Now for a look at the teams taking part in the 2019 Fred Page Cup.
HOST TEAM – AMHERST RAMBLERS
General Manager/Head Coach – Jeff LeBlanc
Regular Season Record – 36-11-1-2, 75 pts – 2nd in Eastlink South Division, 3rd in overall standings
Goals For (Reg. Season) – 204 (4th in MHL)
Goals Against (Reg. Season) – 134 (3rd in MHL)
PP (Reg. Season) – 19.8% (T-4th in MHL)
PK (Reg. Season) – 83.5% (3rd in MHL)
Road to the Fred Page Cup
- Lost 4-3 to South Shore Lumberjacks in Division Semi-Finals
- Awarded Fred Page Cup berth as tournament hosts
Notes:
- After finishing second in the Eastlink South Division, the Amherst Ramblers fell in seven games in the opening round of the Canadian Tire Cup Playoffs to the South Shore Lumberjacks for the second straight season.
- This is the first-ever appearance for the Amherst Ramblers in the Fred Page Cup. The town previously hosted the 1993 Centennial Cup (now the National Junior A Championship) where Amherst lost to the Chateauguay Elites in the semi-finals.
- During the regular season, goaltender Matt Williams posted the fourth-best goals against average in the MHL at 2.51 to go along with a 24-7-1-2 record, .924 save percentage, and four shutouts. The top scorer for Amherst in the regular season was Caleb Rich, who posted 22 goals and 32 assists to place him 16th overall.
- Despite only seven playoff games, Matt Green finished tied for fourth in playoff goals with eight. He added four assists in that first-round matchup against South Shore.
CCHL CHAMPIONS – OTTAWA JR. SENATORS
General Manager/Head Coach – Martin Dagenais
Regular Season Record – 43-16-0-3, 89 pts – 1st in Yzerman Division, 2nd in overall standings
Goals For (Reg. Season) – 234 (2nd in CCHL)
Goal Against (Reg. Season) – 154 (4th in CCHL)
PP (Reg. Season) – 21.7% (2nd in CCHL)
PK (Reg. Season) – 88.3% (1st in CCHL)
Road to Fred Page Cup
- Defeated Kanata Lasers 4-1 in Quarter-Finals
- Defeated Brockville Braves 4-0 in Semi-Finals
- Defeated Carleton Place Canadians 4-1 in Bogart Cup Final
- Awarded Fred Page Cup berth as CCHL Champions
Notes:
- This is the third appearance at the Fred Page Cup for Ottawa, and they enter as the defending champions. The club took part in the 2002 tournament in Truro, N.S. and lost to the Halifax Oland Exports in the final. Halifax would go on to win the national championship (the last MHL club to do so). As Fred Page Cup hosts last season, the Senators defeated College Francais Longueuil in the final to advance to the Royal Bank Cup where they lost in the semi-final to the eventual national champion Chilliwack Chiefs.
- 2018-19 marked the seventh season in a row that Ottawa finished first in the Yzerman Division. The team captured the Bogart Cup for the second straight season over the Carleton Place Canadians; the fourth straight meeting in the final between the two squads.
- Kyle Jackson led the Senators in playoff scoring (14GP, 7G, 6A). That placed the CCHL’s Rookie of the Year fourth overall, one point ahead of teammate Owen Cole (14GP, 6G, 6A)
- Playoff MVP Francis Boisvert had an outstanding playoff run for Ottawa, posting a 12-2-0-0 record, 1.46 goals against average and .945 save percentage to go along with three shutouts. He allowed just 22 goals in 14 games.
LHJQ CHAMPIONS – PRINCEVILLE TITAN
General Manager – Luc Richard
Head Coach – Guillaume St-Denis
Regular Season Record – 35-9-2-2, 74 pts – 3rd in overall standings
Goals For (Reg. Season) – 267 (1st in LHJQ)
Goals Against (Reg. Season) – 181 (5th in LHJQ)
PP (Reg. Season) – 29.06% (2nd in LHJQ)
PK (Reg. Season) – 82.98% (3rd in LHJQ)
Road to the Fred Page Cup
- Finished 4th in round robin (4-1-0-1)
- Defeated Saint Jerome Panthers 4-2 in Quarter-Finals
- Defeated College Francais Longueuil 4-1 in Semi-Finals
- Defeated Terrebonne Cobras 4-1 in NAPA Cup Final
- Awarded Fred Page Cup berth as LHJQ Playoff Champions
Notes:
- This is just the second appearance at the Fred Page Cup for the Princeville Titan. The team went 0-3-0 in the 2012 tournament in Ottawa, ON with losses to Woodstock (MHL), Kanata (CCHL, host), and Nepean (CCHL).
- A team from the LHJQ has been in the final of the Fred Page Cup the past two seasons. Terrebonne, who Princeville beat to win the NAPA Cup this year, won in 2017. College Francais Longueuil lost to Ottawa in last year’s Fred Page Cup Final.
- Princeville had the four top scorers in the LHJQ playoffs. 19-year-old Alex Plamondon led the way with 12 goals and 30 assists in 22 games on his way to being named playoff MVP. Next were teammates Matthew Newbury (21GP, 21G, 17A), William Bergeron (22GP, 14G, 20A), and Marc-Éric Bourque (20 GP, 2G, 32A).
- Titan goaltender Mathieu Bellemare went 16-4-0-1 in the playoffs with a 3.10 goals against average and a .905 save percentage.
MHL CHAMPIONS – YARMOUTH MARINERS
General Manager/Head Coach – Laurie Barron
Regular Season Record – 36-9-3-1, 77 pts – 1st in Eastlink South Division, 2nd in overall standings
Goals For (Reg. Season) – 219 (2nd in MHL)
Goals Against (Reg. Season) – 142 (4th in MHL)
PP (Reg. Season) – 24.7% (2nd in MHL)
PK (Reg. Season) – 78.8% (8th in MHL)
Road to the Fred Page Cup
- Defeated Truro Bearcats 4-0 in Division Semi-Finals
- Defeated South Shore Lumberjacks 4-2 in Division Finals
- Defeated Campbellton Tigers 4-0 in Canadian Tire Cup Final
- Awarded Fred Page Cup berth as MHL Playoff Champions
Notes:
- The Yarmouth Mariners have appeared at two previous Fred Page Cups. Their first was as the host of the 2005 tournament where they lost in the final to the Hawkesbury Hawks. In 2008, the Mariners won the league championship and advanced to the Fred Page Cup in New Glasgow, N.S. where they lost in the semi-finals to the host Weeks Crushers.
- The Mariners appeared in the Canadian Tire Cup Final for the second straight season, this time sweeping the Campbellton Tigers in four straight games. Yarmouth lost last year’s league final in six games to the Edmundston Blizzard.
- Yarmouth boasted five of the top seven scorers during the playoffs this season. Matt Barron (14GP, 6G, 11A) took MVP honours and tied teammate Andrew Martell (14GP, 11G, 6A) for the most points. Brent Broaders (14GP, 9G, 7A) and Brett Crossley (14GP, 4G, 12A) were right behind, with Logan Timmons (14GP, 8G, 7A) in the mix as well.
- Rookie of the Year Tyler Caseley posted a 12-2-0-0 record in the playoffs with a 1.94 goals against average, a .928 save percentage, and two shutouts.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES ATLANTIC)
Round Robin
Princeville vs. Yarmouth – Wednesday, May 1st – 3:00 PM
Ottawa vs Amherst – Wednesday, May 1st – 7:30 PM
Ottawa vs. Princeville – Thursday, May 2nd – 3:00 PM
Yarmouth vs. Amherst – Thursday, May 2nd – 7:30 PM
Yarmouth vs. Ottawa – Friday, May 3rd – 3:00 PM
Amherst vs. Princeville – Friday, May 3rd – 7:30 PM
Fred Page Cup Semi-Final
3rd Seed vs. 2nd Seed – Saturday, May 4th – 7:00 PM
Fred Page Cup Final
Semi-Final Winner vs. 1st Seed – Sunday, May 5th – 4:00 PM
The winner of the Fred Page Cup will move on to the 2019 National Jr. A Championship in Brooks, AB from May 11th to 19th. For more details on the 2019 Fred Page Cup, visit the tournament’s official website. All games are available for viewing via HockeyTV and in Nova Scotia and P.E.I. on Eastlink Community TV, channels 10/610.