Alex Chenhall of the Sydney Academy Wildcats, centre, chases the loose puck as Glace Bay Panthers teammates Darian MacInnis, left, and Matthew Crane look on during Cape Breton High School Hockey League action at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre last season. The high school hockey league officially began on Tuesday with all four teams in action. JEREMY FRASER • CAPE BRETON POST

https://www.saltwire.com/cape-breton/sports/cape-breton-high-school-hockey-league-to-feature-mix-of-veteran-rookie-lineups-as-season-gets-underway-100647362/

SYDNEY, N.S. — After successfully finishing its 2020-21 season despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cape Breton High School Hockey League is aiming for more normalcy this season.

The league officially dropped the puck on the new campaign Tuesday night with Sydney Academy hosting Memorial in Membertou and Riverview battling Glace Bay in Coxheath. Scores were not available at publication time, but can be found online at saltwire.com.

As the league begins play, the teams will be icing a mix of veterans and rookies, which should provide plenty of entertainment for high school hockey fans.

Along with an 18-game regular season and playoffs, for the first time since February 2020, teams will be allowed to once again host their annual tournaments and attend events off-island.

The first tournament on the schedule will be the Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold Tournament slated for Nov. 4-7 in North Sydney, while the Panther Classic will be played Dec. 9-12 in Glace Bay.

Sydney Academy’s Blue and White tournament is scheduled for Jan. 13-16 in Membertou, while the Red Cup Showcase will be played in early February.

Here is a breakdown of all four teams for the 2021-22 season:

Glace Bay Panthers

The Panthers enter the season as the league’s defending champions after winning the best-of-three final series against the Memorial Marauders 2-0 last March.

The Highland Region title was Glace Bay’s first since 2016 and with 10 players returning from the championship team, Panthers head coach Dwayne Doucette is confident his club can repeat this season.

“We are a well-balanced team so expectations are high, not just for our Cape Breton league, but off-island as well,” said Doucette. “We feel our lineup is solid from top to bottom.”

Among the nine players to graduate from the program last year, four of them were the club’s top offensive players including league most valuable player Jarrett Hicks.

Glace Bay will lean on veteran forwards Adam Hicks, Brady Doucette, Jonathan Gallant and Mason Fraser to lead the offence this year. Mitchell MacDonald, Tyler Cormier, Khonner White and Lochlan Pilling will anchor the club’s top four defensive positions.

Between the pipes, the Panthers have a solid one-two punch in 2020-21 top goaltender Darian MacInnis and Owen Coombes, both of whom played for the team last year.

Despite being the defending champions, Doucette said his club doesn’t feel the pressure as the season begins.

“We feel each year is a new challenge and a new group,” he said. “We still have a chance to win again with the core group coming back. Ultimately, it’s up to them to work for it.”

Need to know

•  This year’s Cape Breton High School Hockey League season will feature the Glace Bay Panthers, Memorial Marauders, Riverview Ravens and Sydney Academy Wildcats.
•  Each team will play an 18-game regular season. Playoffs will follow.
•  Teams are permitted to host annual tournaments and attend events off-island for the first time since February 2020.
•  Provincial tournaments are expected to resume this season.

Memorial Marauders

The Marauders enter the new season coming off a well-deserved appearance in the league final against Glace Bay.

Despite not winning the title last year, the Sydney Mines-based program, under the leadership of first-year coach Marc Lyle, was an example of what hard work, heart and dedication can do for a team — wins and losses don’t always determine successful seasons.

Losing 13 players from last year’s lineup, including Ian Jenkins and Nolan Ryan, who combined for 45 points, Memorial will look to its five returning players to help lead the team.

While some would question what a young team can do, Lyle defines this year’s Marauders as a club with “optimism and youth,” that could very well surprise the veteran-led teams in the league.

“We have to be patient as we’re doing the best to get the kids up to speed with our team philosophies, systems and tactics,” said Lyle. “We believe in this group and the goal is to stay as competitive as we can during the regular season and build off that for the playoffs.”

Offensively, the club is expecting big contributions from returning forwards Ryan MacMullin and Evan Fraser. MacMullin had seven goals and 12 points in 12 games last year, while Fraser recorded two goals and six points in 17 games.

Daniel Young is a Grade 10 player who joins the program after playing with the Joneljim Cougars. Lyle describes him as a player to watch.

On the blueline, Mason Chapman, Jackson Ford and Nick Johnson will carry the workload. Offensively, Ford and Chapman finished in the team’s top 11 in points last season.

Memorial will have two new goaltenders this season. Tye Swan and Jack MacPhee will make up the goaltending duo between the pipes. Swan played under-18 ‘A’ with Northside last season, while MacPhee played for the Northside’s under-15 ‘AA’ team.

“When you have the guys who are returning and the eagerness of the young guys who want to learn, good things will happen,” said Lyle.

“The seniors on the team now have the taste of success and they want more. The incoming players saw what can be accomplished and they want to contribute to that.”

Riverview Ravens

The Ravens finished second in the standings last year, one point behind Glace Bay, but it was really a tale on two teams for the Coxheath-based school last year.

Riverview found success early in the season but began struggling to find the win column following the sudden departure of head coach Jimmy Smith to the Eskasoni Eagles of the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League in January.

In the playoffs, the Ravens' struggles continued and the club finished the round robin with a 1-4 record.

With the disappointment of last season behind them, head coach Jordan Moss will look towards his eight returning players to turn things around.

“Our expectations are to see a very competitive league this year between all four teams,” said Moss. “Every night will be a battle to get a win and we hope to battle out the year and finish on top.”

The Ravens will be without three of their top point producers from last season — Colby McCarron, Sam MacKinnon and Liam Brann — all of whom graduated from the program.

Riverview will look to Noah MacKinnon and Liam Robertson to power the offence. Both finished in the team’s top five in scoring — MacKinnon with eight goals and 19 points in 17 games, and Robertson with seven goals and 16 points in 12 games.

On the backend, Arlen Denny is expected to log key minutes, while returnees Kyle Rudderham and Matt LeBlanc will secure the club’s top three positions on the blueline.

In goal, both netminders will be returnees with Patrick Hinchey and Devon Gallant back for another season and looking to carry the club deep into March.

“We’re looking to have a strong start,” said Moss. “The coaching staff and players returning from last year have a bit of a sour taste in our mouth from the way we finished the year last season and we look to answer the bell right off the start.”

Tournaments

•  Nov. 4-7, 2021: Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold Hockey Tournament – Hosted by Memorial at Emera Centre Northside, North Sydney
•  Dec. 9-12, 2021: Panther Classic – Hosted by Glace Bay at Miners Forum, Glace Bay
•  Jan. 13-16, 2022: Blue and White Tournament – Hosted by Sydney Academy at Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre, Membertou
•  February 2022: Red Cup Showcase – Hosted by Riverview at Cape Breton County Recreation Centre – Dates not confirmed
   

Sydney Academy Wildcats

The Wildcats will look to improve on their 2-15-1-0 regular-season record from one year ago with several veterans in the lineup this season.

Among the returning players for the Sheldon Surette-coached Wildcats are three of the club’s top scorers from last season — Alex Chenhall, Graham Basque and Ryan MacNamara.

Rylan Perry will be part of the club's returning defence, but it will be the club’s goaltending duo that provides strength this season.

Liam Collings and Daniel MacGillvary have lots of experience in the league. The two played similar minutes last season and that’s expected to once again be the case this season.

Coach Surette could not immediately be reached for comment before press time.

Jeremy Fraser is the sports reporter for the Cape Breton Post. Follow Jeremy on Twitter @CBPost_Jeremy.