GRAND FALLS, N.B.: Nolan Boyd is ready to get his first season of Junior A hockey going.
The Fall River goaltender will be plying his trade between the pipes for the Grand Falls Rapids of the Maritime Hockey League (MHL), a new team to the junior league. New in the sense it has new players and a new home base, after having called Woodstock home as the Slammers.
Boyd learned he was one of the two goalies named to the team last week when the Rapids announced the roster for the 2018-2019 home opener, which was set for Sept. 16.
“I’m very excited to get things going,” said Boyd on Sept. 13. “It’s going to be a great experience. It’s a very nice town here. It’s a big hockey community so it should be a fun season.”
Boyd is a prospect of the Charlottetown Islanders and was a late cut from the Q team’s training camp.
In 90 minutes of pre-season game action with Grand Falls over four games, Boyd finished with a 3.34 Goals Against Average. Meanwhile, counterpart Andrew Rose also saw 90 minutes of play, good enough to end with a 1.33 GAA. The Rapids won three of their four games.
He is continuing his high school education through correspondence at Lockview High.
Boyd was named a second star in one of the game’s he came on in relief, stopping 25 of 27 in a victory for Grand Falls.
He said training camp was good. He said he did feel tired a bit doing the Isles camp and then heading to Grand Falls, but he worked through the summer to be ready and in game shape.
“It was good to get down here and adjusted to things,” said Boyd. “I’m looking forward to the season.”
Boyd has Jan. 15 circled on his calendar—a game in Truro, when his family and friends can come cheer him on.
The Rapids completed their exhibition schedule by defeating the St. Stephen Aces twice while splitting a home and away series with the Edmundston Blizzard. In the process, Grand Falls scored 19 goals while allowing only nine.
Among those tallies, Grand Falls scored five markers with the man advantage,. and one shorthanded tally.
The Rapids will be playing a 50 game regular season schedule. They will play out of the Maritime Hockey League’s (MHL) Eastlink North division with the Campbellton Tigers; Summerside Western Capitals; Miramichi Timberwolves; St.Stephen Aces; and Edmundston Blizzard.