Islanders' coach, goalie up for league awards

The Charlottetown Islanders are one loss away from elimination in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs after losing 4-3 to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles Friday night.

But they did get some good news, as well.

Coach Jim Hulton was named one of three finalists for the league's coach of the year award and goalie Matthew Welsh is up for two league awards one for humanitarian and community involvement and the other as top scholastic player.

Welsh, the goalie with the most wins in franchise history, is a second-year business student at UPEI.

Lukas Cormier had been nominated for top defensive rookie, but that award was handed out last week to Jordan Spenceof Cornwall, P.E.I., who plays forthe Moncton Wildcats. Spence is also up for rookie of the year.

Hulton, also the Islanders' general manager, led the team to a record of 40-21-4-3, good for sixth place overall in the 18-team-league.

Many around the league did not expect the Islanders to perform that well, especially after trading some of their top players in December.

Hulton is up against Mario Pouliot of the top-ranked Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and Martin Bernard of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar for top coach.

Dobson up for 2 awards

Noah Dobson, a Summerside native who plays for Rouyn-Noranda, is up for two awards top defenceman and personality of the year. Dobson was selected by the New York Islanders in the first round of last summer's NHL draft.

The winners will be announced April 3.

The Islanders, meanwhile, trail the Screaming Eagles three games to two in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series. After winning the first two games of the series, the Islanders lost the next two in Sydney, N.S., and then Game 5 Friday in Charlottetown.

They travel back to Sydney for Game 6 Sunday night. If they win, Game 7 would be playedat Charlottetown's Eastlink Centre on Tuesday.

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