Charlottetown Islanders one of the top junior teams in Canada

The Charlottetown Islanders have really been on a roll lately.

Winners of seven of their last 10 games, including a recent homestand which saw the club go 4-1, the Islanders have climbed to nearthe top of the overall standings in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League standings.

"We've had a really good stretch since Christmas," said Guy Girouard, assistant general manager and associate coach.

"We're pretty deep and have contributions from every line.If one gets shut down, somebody else picks up the slack. We're pretty happy where the team is right now."

The Islanders solid play over the past few weeks hasn't gone unnoticed.

'National recognition"

When the Canadian Junior Hockey League releasedits national rankingsthis week, the Islanders were among the 10best junior teams in the country, ranking10th.

"It's always nice to get that national recognition," said Girouard. "It's nice to be in that conversation. We've been on the cusp all year. Hopefully we can stay in the top 10 because it means we're winning a lot of games."

"It's always good to get recognition like that," added veteran defencemanCarl Neill.

"The boys have put in a lot of hard work. The organization has done a good job bringing in players this year, so I think it's good recognition for all the effort the guys put in, so hopefully we can move up that ranking."

'We want to win a league championship'

The team hopes to continue to move up in the standings, using one of its key strengths all season depth.

"From the first line to the fourth line everybody plays," said Neill, who is in his final year of junior hockey. "I think that's what is going to help us come playoff time. Everybody contributes from the forwards to the goalie, everybody's chipping in together."

While the recognition of being in the top 10 in the country is something to be proud of, Girouard says the team's ultimate goal remains the same.

"We want to win the league championship and get to the Memorial Cup," said Girouard.

"Weknow there's a long road ahead. Youcan be ranked first going into the playoffs, lose in the first round and those rankings don't mean anything, so really what matters, are the wins and losses."

• MORE P.E.I. News ISnow doesn't slow ringette championships
• MORE P.E.I. News I'These are our roots': Heritage Week kicks off Monday