Charlottetown Islanders show their coach the 'beauty' of junior hockey

When the Charlottetown Islanders made history by reaching the final of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for the first time in the franchise's 23-year history, one of the first things the players did was grab their longtime equipment manager and hoist him in the air.

Andrew "Spider" MacNeil has been with the team since the very beginning, and when the Islanders defeated the Sherbrooke Phoenix in their best-of-five-semifinal series Monday night, the players made sure he was part of the celebration.

"It was a lot of euphoria," Islanders coach and general manager Jim Hulton said in an interview with Mainstreet P.E.I. host Matt Rainnie.

"There was a little bit of crowd surfing. They grabbed Spider, threw him up in the air and danced around. But you know what? That's the beauty of it. That's why I love coaching junior hockey, just to see the happiness and joy in those kids' faces."

The Islanders will play the winner of Wednesday's night's game between Shawinigan and Quebec in the best-of-seven President's Cup final beginning Saturday. If Shawinigan wins, the Islanders would host Game 1. If Quebec wins, they would start on the road.

Hulton said a few days off will do the team good after Monday's emotional game in Sherbrooke, Que. The Islanders seemed to be in command but lost momentum when the Phoenix scored two goals early in the third period to cut the lead to 4-3.

"We joked last night after the game, it was the longest 13 minutes in the history of hockey for those of us that were hanging on," Hulton said.

"It felt like the ice was tilted in their favour for most of the third. But our goaltender was sensational and we're going to go on a long run. You have to have moments like that. You have to have some good fortune."

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