Falher Pirates’ coach reflects on the 2016/17 season

· by ·
Above, Dave Lawrence scores for the Falher Pirates during the second period of the game against the Spirit River Rangers on Nov. 12, and Josh Rutherford and Lloyd Ahkimnachie received the assists. The Pirates went on to win the game by a score of 5-3.

Mac Olsen
Express Staff
@SmokyRiverExprs
The Falher Pirates didn’t bring home the Campbell at the end of the season, but they do have the East Division banner to put on the wall at the Falher Regional Recreation Complex.

Coach Mathieu Maisonneuve is disappointed that his team didn’t win the Campbell Cup – the Spirit River Rangers defeated the Pirates in four straight games earlier this month – but still, he is pleased.

“We had a positive season,” says Maisonneuve.
“We made it to the finals and that’s always a great accomplishment.”

He adds, the Grimshaw Huskies proved to be a tough team, as the Pirates struggled to win against them in regular season play. Nonetheless, the Pirates managed to come out ahead against the Huskies in the East Division after a seven-game battle in the semi-finals. This allowed them to advance to the Campbell Cup.

Maisonneuve also touts the mostly local talent that played on the team, and they were there for the entire season. Add to that the community support and the volunteers who put in the time at the FRRC, and it was a great season overall.

Maisonneuve will decide by this summer whether he will return for the 2017/18 season to coach the Pirates.

The Falher Pirates didn’t fair well in their home opener against the Dawson Creek Canucks on Oct. 29. Above, Spencer Grover scores the Canucks’ sixth goal at 13:33 in the third period.
on February 16 against the Huskies in Grimshaw, Jay Anderson scored a power play goal for the Pirates at fifty-eight seconds into the second period. Pat Rowan and Jeremie Perron assisted. It was the Pirates’ third goal and they went on to win 7-1 in the first game of their best-of-seven semi-final series.
Into the attic! During the game on January 7, Sheldon McArthur of the Grande Prairie Athletics scored his team’s fourth goal late in the first period, with the assists going to Tyrell Mason and Brock Clement.
Jordan Panasiuk had a good night in net for the Pirates on Nov. 26, letting the puck passed him on three times in the game against the Fort St. John Flyers.

Share this post