Ramblers Fall in Preseason Opener Against Capitals
© Paul Morrison Photography The Amherst Ramblers opened their preseason with a fast-paced, hard-fought game Friday night at Amherst Stadium but came up just short, falling 5–4 to the visiting Summerside Western Capitals in front of 620 fans.
Amherst came out strong, generating plenty of early chances and finally breaking through at 12:15 of the first period when Nolan Shaw found the back of the net, with Bailey Shortall and Christian White drawing assists. Summerside took a pair of early penalties in the opening frame, but the Ramblers couldn’t add to their lead and took a 1–0 advantage into the first intermission.
The Ramblers extended their lead early in the second period when Caiden Parris scored a power-play marker at 3:14, assisted by Keegan O’Neill and Jacob Pineau. Summerside responded late in the frame, however, when Max Gamble converted at 14:33 to cut the lead to 2–1 heading to the third period.
The final frame turned into a wild one. Just 46 seconds in, Aiden MacKay tied the game for Summerside, and at 7:02 Carson Griffin scored on the power play to put the Capitals in front for the first time. Griffin struck again at 10:29, and Austin Walker added another just four minutes later to make it 5–2.
Amherst refused to go quietly. Kayden McGuigan buried a shot at 14:38, set up by Evan Nicholson, and Elliot Wright notched a goal less than two minutes later with Nolan Shaw picking up the assist. The Ramblers pushed hard in the final moments but couldn’t find the equalizer before the buzzer sounded, leaving the score 5–4 in favour of the Capitals.
Despite the loss, Amherst outshot Summerside 58–47, including a dominant 24-shot third period that nearly forced overtime. Kyle Pisarik turned aside 42 shots for the Ramblers, while Summerside split the goaltending duties with Hudson Bradley (23 saves on 25 shots) and John Reburn (31 saves on 33 shots). Amherst finished the night 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Capitals went 1-for-2 with the man advantage.
It may not have been the result Amherst wanted, but their third-period surge gave fans a glimpse of their offensive potential heading into the season.