Prince Edward Island is probably the luckiest team in the boys hockey competition at the 2019 Canada Winter Games.
Brandon White/Canada Winter Games photo
For the second straight game, the Maritimers needed a goal late in regulation time to beat a Northern team and this time, it was Team NT by a score of 3-2. The eventual winning goal came on a power-play with Yellowknife's James MacCara in the penalty box for head contact.
Samuel Schofield, Team NT's captain, said the winner was simply a lucky bounce.
“They moved the puck around the zone and it ended up on someone's stick,” he said. “They got a lucky bounce.”
It was a bitter pill to swallow for Schofield as he scored the tying marker in the third period to get the game back to 2-2. For the second straight game, Team NT opened the scoring, this time through Andrew Carr as he got one late in the first period. Prince Edward Island took the lead in the second period before Schofield's equalizer.
“I thought we could get this game,” said Schofield. “We thought we could get the game yesterday (vs. Newfoundland and Labrador) also but we just need to work harder and make less mistakes.”
Schofield is in the interesting position in that this is his second Canada Winter Games as a hockey player. He was just 13 years of age four years ago in Prince George, B.C., when he made the boys team as a peewee player.
He's the captain for the boys team this year and said the only difference from four years prior is that he's four years older.
“I don't remember much from four years ago,” he admitted. “The big changes are it's a different place, different teammates and I'm being relied on more this time to produce.”
The boys are back in action this evening against Yukon at 7:30 p.m.