Second week of MHL action picks up Thursday

The 2019-20 Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) season is underway. Nine games kicked off the schedule last week, with every team on the ice at least once. Eleven more games are on tap for the second week of action, including a number of intriguing matchups.

Two games are set for Thursday, with a pair of intriguing Eastlink South contests. The South Shore Lumberjacks (2-0-0-0) have been knocked out of the divisional final by Yarmouth (2-0-0-0) two years in a row and look to start the new season off on the right foot by picking up a win.  The Lumberjacks picked up wins over Miramichi (0-2-0-0) at home and then on the road against Valley (0-2-0-0) last week. Yarmouth, meanwhile, celebrated their Canadian Tire Cup Championship at Mariners centre before beating Truro (0-1-0-0) in their opener and then edged Miramichi the following night. Elsewhere, the Pictou County Weeks Crushers (1-0-0-0) opened the regular season schedule with a 3-1 victory on home ice over Fredericton (1-1-0-0). They’ll be looking to keep the home ice magic going as they host Amherst (0-1-0-0). The Ramblers started their season on the wrong side of a 4-0 game against Summerside (1-0-0-0).

It’s a busy night on Friday with five games, including a big evening planned in Fredericton as the Red Wings hit the ice at Grant Harvey Centre in their inaugural home game. Grand Falls (0-1-0-0) are the visitors and look to rebound from a 4-3 loss to Edmundston (1-1-0-0). Campbellton (1-0-0-0) make the long trip through the south end of Nova Scotia this week, beginning Friday in South Shore. The Tigers started their defence of the division title with a 5-1 win in Edmundston. Summerside heads to Edmundston, fresh off a convincing 4-0 win over Amherst and another shutout for Dominic Tmej.

Shifting to the Eastlink South, the Ramblers continue their road trip as they visit Valley. The Wildcats have a new logo, new jerseys, and a new man in charge with Brandon Benedict, but started their season with a tough 5-0 loss to the Red Wings, followed by a 6-1 loss to South Shore. Truro heads back to Yarmouth for the second week in a row, hoping for a better result than their season opener.

Saturday will see three games on the ice, with a rematch of the Canadian Tire Cup as Campbellton plays in Yarmouth. That game is the MHL Game of the Week and free to watch on HockeyTV. Miramichi have their home opener against Edmundston. This is the 20th season for the Timberwolves. The franchise is coming up on a pair of big regular season milestones as Miramichi is now four games shy of 1,000 and three wins from 500. Summerside heads to Fredericton for their first matchup with the Red Wings. The Western Capitals finish up the week on Sunday with a trip to Grand Falls.