Donald
Teuma-Castelletti
SHAWVILLE Oct. 14, 2018
The excitement of the Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League (CPJHL) games continued in Shawville on Sunday, as the Maniwaki Mustangs returned for a hard-won game against the Essa Stallions.
In an attempt to drum up excitement for a new Junior hockey team in Shawville, Mustangs President Eric Gauthier brought his second of five planned match-ups to town, with teams holding nothing back as they compete at the Shawville Community Centre.
The game started with much frustration for the Mustangs, as Essa sunk the puck into their net just 15 seconds into the first period.
With tempers flaring, penalties soon followed as both teams had players sent to the locker rooms in the first. Before the period wrapped up, there was another couple of visits for each side to the box, before more roughhousing continued at the buzzer.

Head coach Samuel Rivest said that despite these shortcomings, and against a few powerplays, the Mustangs maintained a great defense. However, it was at this point that he had a serious talk with the lads in the locker room.
“I had a little chat with the boys, I told them we’re never going to win the game like that,” said Rivest. “I think they understood that.”
The rest of the game proved much better for the Mustangs, with only a single penalty occurring in the second. They focused up on the ice, as Francis Proulx managed to fire two past the Stallions’ goalie.
As the second wrapped up, the scoreboard was tied and both benches were eager to get back to the action.
Maniwaki maintained a clean game through the third, leading once Anthony Bédard fired in his first goal of the night almost eight minutes in. As it wore on, the Mustangs got a bit ahead of themselves and loosened their defense, allowing the Stallions to tie it up again.
With overtime starting, Maniwaki was relentless from the get-go. Working quick, the team swarmed the ice after Bédard scored the winning goal less than a minute in, ecstatic that their patience on the ice paid off in the later periods.
Rivest was proud that the team focused up for the rest of the game, admitting that there is a need for better discipline, so they’ll stay out of the box, and for the team to move the puck around more.
“Other than that we have, I think, the best team in the league for sure,” he continued.
While attendance to the games is almost non-existent by locals, Gauthier is hoping to see an increase in the number of people in the stands as the season wears on. He’s brought the games here to bring junior hockey back to Shawville, as he plans to start up the Shawville Express team in the CPJHL next year.
While Gauthier had at least eight players signed to the team this year, the lineup came up short, and he was forced to postpone. His hope is that these games will exhibit the level of talent and action that the league puts on, and that players in the appropriate age bracket will try out, once they’re done with local minor hockey.
“When a guy finishes minor, and he wants to play again competitively, that’s the reason we’re looking to have a team in Shawville,” he continued.
The Maniwaki Mustangs will return to Shawville on November 10, when they take on the Coldwater Ice Wolves starting at 7:30 p.m.