PORT HAWKESBURY: Great hockey knowledge and a wealth of experience are coming to the Strait Pirates due to the addition of a head coach who, for hockey fans in Port Hawkesbury and area, needs little introduction.
“I’m excited to get back to the rink,” Stan MacNeil said, who was named head coach of the Junior team early last week. “I was away from coaching for a bit, and I’m looking forward to getting back with our coaching staff to make some improvements on last year’s team. We’re going to get poised for a playoff spot and maybe take a run at it. We’ll have a competitive team and entertain the Pirate faithful.”
The familiar face is replacing outgoing head coach Jesse MacLean, who is off to new adventures on the Junior A level. He’ll join the bench staff of the Valley Wildcats as an assistant coach.
MacNeil was approached by the Pirate executive over the summer to consider leading the team. After some discussion with his wife, MacNeil decided to take on the role.
The bench boss comes to the team with a great deal of experience, as he coached minor hockey for over 30 years. Indeed, he’s a former president of Strait-Richmond Minor Hockey, and he’s coordinated local development programs like the Strait 3-on-3 and Strait Skills Development Camps.
He has both Hockey Canada Level I and II Coaching certifications and has attended several Hockey Canada coaching clinics.
The Pirates have the potential to be competitive, MacNeil said, despite coming off a tough season in 2024-25 where they finished fourth in the league’s Sid Rowe division at 11-16-3-0 (W-L-OTL-SOL).
The Strait faced a tough draw in the first round of playoffs, as the league-leading Antigonish Bulldogs were able to oust them in five games.
On the subject of the Bulldogs, they and the Pirates will play a pair of exhibition games early next month. The first is at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre (Sept. 7, 5 pm) and the second is at StFX (Sept. 8, 8:30 pm).
The games overlap with the Pirates’ training camp, with sessions taking place at Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre (Sept. 2, 8-9:30 pm) and StFX (Sept. 5, 8-10 pm).
“There’s spots available,” MacNeil said. “We’ll show respect for the returning guys, but the door is always open for new players to take the ball and run.”
The schedule for the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League season will soon be posted on the league’s website: www.nsjhl.ca.