The Fred Page Cup kicks off Wednesday in Ottawa, Ontario. The tournament pits some of the most talented teams and players from the Eastern Canada Jr.A ranks as the playoff champions from the LHJQ (Longueuil College Francais), MHL (Edmundston Blizzard) along with the host team and CCHL playoff champions (Ottawa Jr. Senators) and the CCHL playoff runners-up (Carleton Place Canadians), will be vying for the title and the right to advance to the RBC Cup National Jr.A Championship.
The Fred Page Cup is being held in Ontario for the first time since 2015, when the tournament was held in Cornwall. That year, the Carelton Place Canadians won the second of three consecutive Fred Page Cup Championships, defeating the Dieppe Commandos in the tournament final.
Below is a look at the four teams that will be vying for the 2018 Fred Page Cup Championship.
HOST & CCHL CHAMPIONS – OTTAWA JR. SENATORS
General Manager – Martin Dagenais
Head Coach – Martin Dagenais
Regular Season Record – 46-9-5-2, 99 pts – 1st in Yzerman Division, 2nd in overall standings
Goals For (Reg. Season) – 254 (2nd in CCHL)
Goal Against (Reg. Season) – 142 (2nd in CCHL)
PP (Reg. Season) – 24.5% (1st in CCHL)
PK (Reg. Season) – 86.2% (3rd in CCHL)
Road to Fred Page Cup
- Defeated Pembroke Lumber Kings 4-2 in Quarter-Finals
- Defeated Brockville Braves 4-3 in Semi-Finals
- Defeated Carleton Place Canadians 4-1 in Bogart Cup Final
- Awarded Fred Page Cup berth as CCHL Champions and Host Team
NOTES
- The Senators are the second consecutive team to enter the Fred Page Cup as both the host club and the champion of their respective league. The Terrebonne Cobras also earned this distinction in 2017.
- This is the Senators’ second appearance in the Fred Page Cup. Their only other appearance, in 2002, contained two key ties to the MHL. That year’s tournament was held in Truro and hosted by the Bearcats. The Senators fell in the championship final that year to the Halifax Oland Exports, who would go on to capture the RBC Cup National Jr.A title, the last MHL club to do so to date.
- Although guaranteed to receive a berth in the Fred Page Cup by virtue of hosting the tournament, the Senators exacted a measure of revenge during the Bogart Cup Final nonetheless by defeating the Carleton Place Canadians. This marked the third consecutive season in which the two clubs locked horns in the CCHL Final. The Canadians had won the previous two series.
- This is the eighth time the Fred Page Cup is being held in Ontario. In each of the previous eight occasions, a CCHL team has reached the final. On four of those occasions, including the 2015 tournament in Cornwall, an Ontario team was victorious.
- The Senators will be looking to build on their longstanding regular season success in addition to their Bogart Cup title this year. 2017-18 marked the fourth straight year in which the club finished first in their division during the regular season.
CCHL RUNNERS-UP – CARLETON PLACE CANADIANS
General Manager – Jason Clarke
Head Coach – Jason Clarke
Regular Season Record – 53-5-1-0, 110 pts – 1st in Robinson Division, 1st in overall standings
Goals For (Reg. Season) – 257 (1st in CCHL)
Goals Against (Reg. Season) – 105 (1st in CCHL)
PP (Reg. Season) – 19.7% (3rd in CCHL)
PK (Reg. Season) – 89.2% (1st in CCHL)
Road to the Fred Page Cup
- Defeated Rockland Nationals 4-1 in Quarter-Finals
- Defeated Hawkesbury Hawks 4-2 in Semi-Finals
- Lost 4-1 to Ottawa Jr. Senators in Bogart Cup Finals
- Awarded Fred Page Cup berth as CCHL Playoff Runners-Up
NOTES
- The Carleton Place Canadians have become something of a permanent fixture at the Fred Page Cup. This year marks their fifth consecutive appearance at the tournament. Only the Pembroke Lumber Kings, who made six straight appearances from 2006-2011, have pulled off a longer streak.
- The Canadians won their first three appearances at the event, winning in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Despite falling in the 2017 Final to the Terrebonne Cobras, the club holds an impressive 12-2-0-2 record during their four year run at the Fred Page Cup.
- Carleton Place won 53 games in the regular season this year – the third time in the past five seasons in which the team has reached the 50-win plateau. Over the past five years, the team has reeled off an incredible regular season record of 249-49-3-9.
- The Canadians’ 110 points during the regular season tied a CCHL record for highest single season point total. The record was originally set by the Canadians themselves, back in 2013-14
- Carleton Place holds the distinction of being the only team in this tournament to have previously faced all three of their opponents at the event. Besides the Jr. Senators, the Canadians have faced Longueuil over the course of the past three Fred Page Cups while they also took on the Edmundston Blizzard in 2015, when that team was still operating as the Dieppe Commandos.
LHJQ RUNNERS-UP – LONGUEUIL COLLEGE FRANCAIS
General Manager and Head Coach – Pierre Petroni
Regular Season Record – 38-8-3-0, 79 pts – 1st in Martin St-Louis Division, 2nd in overall standings
Goals For (Reg. Season) – 307 (2nd in LHJQ)
Goals Against (Reg. Season) – 147 (1st in LHJQ)
PP (Reg. Season) – 24.29% (6th in LHJQ)
PK (Reg. Season) – 79.53% (4th in LHJQ)
Road to the Fred Page Cup
- Defeated Montreal-Est Rangers 4-0 in Quarter-Finals
- Defeated Granby Inouk 4-0 in Semi-Finals
- Defeated Terrebonne Cobras 4-1 in Napa Cup Final
- Awarded Fred Page Cup berth as LHJQ Playoff Champions
NOTES
- This marks Longueuil’s fourth consecutive appearance at the Fred Page Cup. In each of their past three trips to the event, they were defeated in the tournament Semi-Final.
- Le College Francais is become the most consistant fixture from the LHJQ at the Fred Page Cup. This will be their sixth appearance at the event since 2011.
- By defeating the Terrebonne Cobras in the Napa Cup Final, Longueuil secured redemption over the club that defeated them in the 2017 LHJQ championship round.
- Longueuil is looking to claim the Fred Page Cup for the LHJQ for the second straight year. Terrebonne’s win at the 2017 tournament marked the first time in 11 years that a team from the league captured the cup. Though Quebec-based teams have won the event on five occasions, they have never earned the title in back to back years.
- Geography may be on Longueuil’s side. Two of the last three Fred Page Cup triumphs for the LHJQ occurred in Ontario. The Joliette Action claimed the trophy in Pembroke in 2006 while the Lennoxville Cougars won it all in Cornwall in 2003.
MHL CHAMPIONS – EDMUNDSTON BLIZZARD
General Manager – Steve MacPherson
Head Coach – Ryan Salvis
Regular Season Record – 36-10-4-0, 76 pts – 1st in Eastlink North Division, 1st in overall standings
Goals For (Reg. Season) – 180 (5th in MHL)
Goals Against (Reg. Season) – 137 (T-3rd in MHL)
PP (Reg. Season) – 24.4% (2nd in MHL)
PK (Reg. Season) – 84.0% (T-3rd in MHL)
Road to the Fred Page Cup
- Defeated Miramichi Timberwolves 4-0 in Division Semi-Finals
- Defeated Summerside Western Capitals 4-3 in Division Finals
- Defeated Yarmouth Mariners 4-2 in MHL Finals
- Awarded Fred Page Cup berth as MHL Playoff Champions
NOTES
- The Blizzard hold the unique distinction of appearing in the tournament as a franchise under three different names playing out of three different locales. The club appeared in the 1995 and 1996 tournaments as the Moncton Beavers and in 2009 and 2015 as the Dieppe Commandos
- The Blizzard are the first team to appear in the Fred Page Cup in their first season in a new location since, ironically, the Dieppe Commandos appeared in the event as the host team in 2009.
- For the second straight year, the road to the MHL championship travelled through both Miramichi and Yarmouth. The Timberwolves and Mariners were also both defeated by the 2017 playoff winners, the Truro Bearcats.
- This is the second consecutive time the Blizzard franchise has appeared in the Fred Page Cup while it has been held in Ontario. The Commandos’ 2015 appearance came in Cornwall, where they fell to the Carleton Place Canadians in the tournament final.
- Again, geography could work in the Blizzard’s favor. The past two MHL clubs to reach the Fred Page Cup Final, Woodstock in 2016 and Dieppe in 2015, have hailed from New Brunswick.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES ATLANTIC)
Longueuil vs. Carleton Place – Wednesday, May 2nd – 12:30PM
Edmundston vs. Ottawa – Wednesday, May 2nd – 8:30PM
Longueuil vs. Edmundston – Thursday, May 3rd – 4:30PM
Carleton Place vs. Ottawa – Thursday, May 3rd – 8:30PM
Edmundston vs. Carleton Place – Friday, May 4th – 4:30PM
Ottawa vs. Longueuil – Friday, May 4th – 8:30PM
Fred Page Cup Semi-Final – Saturday, May 5th – 8PM
Fred Page Cup Final – Sunday, May 6th – 5PM
The winner of the Fred Page Cup will move on to the 2018 RBC Cup National Jr.A Championship, which is being held in Chilliwack, BC from May 12th – May 20th.
For more details on the 2018 Fred Page Cup, visit the tournament’s official website at https://fredpagecup.pointstreaksites.com/view/fredpagecup/
All games of the 2018 Fred Page Cup are available for viewing via www.hockeytv.com.
Will MacLaren – themhl.ca