The Pioneers hosted the Gaulois de Port-Cartier at the Henry-Leonard Center in Baie-Comeau for a test match that was conclusive in March 2023. (Photo Facebook Les Pionniers)
The popular Côte-Nord Senior AA Hockey League will have four teams next year. The Pioneers of Baie-Comeau join the Merchants of Havre-Saint-Pierre, the Basques of Sept-Îles and the Gauls of Port-Cartier. Each adult team will play 8 games in the regular season.
The spokesperson for the champions of the return season of Senior hockey Sébastien Deschenes of the Gaulois de Port-Cartier judges that this is a great improvement. He is convinced that there will be a balance between the 4 teams, which use the best players available in their respective territories.
The return of Senior hockey to the eastern part of the North Shore filled all three arenas. A post-season exhibition game between the Gauls and the Pioneers also filled the Baie-Comeau arena.
Two Divisions?
For now, the representatives of the four teams are talking on Messenger. “There is talk of creating two divisions considering the distance between Baie-Comeau and Le Havre, but the decision has not been made, explains Sébastien Deschenes. The calendar for the 2023-24 Senior hockey season will be developed after planning all minor hockey activities in Baie-Comeau and Sept-Îles.
Thus the Pioneers and the Gauls would face each other more often in a western division, the same thing between the Basques and the Merchants in the east. Curiously, the two closest towns, Port-Cartier and Sept-Îles, would not be in the same division. The Senior AA Hockey League has already brought together four teams. But with Fermont rather than Baie-Comeau in the background, the logistics and financing of travel were more complex.
Gauls already in training
To defend their regular season and series champion titles, the Port-Cartier Gauls have recruited a few new players for the next season.
Gaulois spokesman Sébastien Deschenes says the players are already training twice a week off the ice under the guidance of team captain Nicolas Mayrand. The Port-Cartois suffered a crushing defeat in Baie-Comeau during the exhibition match.
“The Pioneers won’t have the same squad for next season, but potentially they can build a very competitive club. Baie-Comeau was for a long time the only city in the region with sport-study programs in hockey. I am convinced that we will still have a great season of senior hockey with a lot of atmosphere in the 4 arenas”, comments Sébastien Deschenes of the Gaulois.
2023-08-08 22:15:56
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