Feb. 17 saw the return of the Maniwaki Mustangs to the Shawville arena for their final local game of the season, though it appeared that the team’s usual fire and energy on the ice was forgotten at home.

Hosting the Wexford Raiders in a regular season Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League (CPJHL) game, the Mustangs still came out on top with a score of 5-2 but the periods were marred with plenty of penalties and missed opportunities as the team looks to solidify their understanding of teamwork.

Coach Alain Vachon said the team is playing too much as individuals but must learn quickly how to play as a unit of five. Especially with play offs coming up, if they’re going to continue their success as the second place team in the league, they’ll need to work together better, he continued.

The game started strong for the Mustangs, as they brought their speed to the first period, though penalties slowed the action down significantly. Olivier Plouffe and Philippe Gaudron led the team in scoring, putting the lads ahead 2-1 at the period’s end.

Second proved tougher, as both teams had a hard time connecting their shots to the net. Though Wexford had 19 shots on net, none connected. Of Maniwaki’s 12, only a single one from Aiden Morrisseau snuck in.

Third period saw both teams double their efforts, as Wexford sought to catch up. It was all for naught though, as the Mustangs outpaced them significantly. Plouffe scored his second goal early on this period, before Anthony Bédard got his first goal of the game.

This was the fifth and final CPJHL game scheduled for the season in Shawville, in what was an attempt to gauge interest in bringing a junior league team to town. Despite poor attendance, Maniwaki Mustangs owner Eric Gauthier said he still plans to start the Shawville Express junior team in the upcoming season.

Gauthier said they had received an impressive coaching resumé from an individual in Aylmer and were meeting with Shawville arena officials on that night to discuss costs and organization for ice times.

He said that much of the organizational work is in motion, as they start to look ahead to recruiting, as they’ll need 25 players to build the team. He was quick to add that the team is recruiting for players who are beyond their minor hockey career, as the league is meant to be the next step for players who have finished with their local leagues.

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