Picton Pirates tangle with arch-rivals in exhibition play Thursday

The Picton Pirates will kick off their exhibition season Thursday evening in Wellington as the local Junior C hockey club will dress a lineup of rookies and prospects to tangle with the arch-rival Napanee Raiders.
The prospect game is fast becoming a tradition for the two clubs, both founding members of the Empire Junior C hockey league which begins its 22nd season this fall.
“It’s a chance for both organizations to see players that have committed to our organization after a successful training camp in game action as well as reward local players that will be starting up their minor hockey season soon,” Pirates GM Jason Parks said.
Prince Edward County Kings players still in the mix and playing Thursday night include Corey Prince, Nolan Van Vlack, Zac Brant, Ryan Vader and Ricky Holland.
“These are guys that we need to build our future around and exposing them to junior hockey in this setting is very beneficial,” Parks said.
Another interesting case suiting up for Picton is 16-year-old Brighton native Mark Macaulay.
As his name would suggest, the slick forward is a distant relative of Hallowell’s founding father, Reverend William Macaulay, who founded the parish in 1823 and was also instrumental in naming the town of Picton.
While a neat story line, Parks said his inclusion in the game has nothing to do with history.
“As a 16-year-old, he’s really shown a lot of puck smarts and I know our head coach Darren Yuill has been really impressed by him so far,” Parks said.
The puck drops at 7:30 at the Wellington Arena.
Picton’s remaining exhibition schedule is as follows:
Thurs Sept 2 7:30 pm @ Wellington v Port Hope
Sun Sept 5 10:45 am @ Yardmen Arena v Napanee
Thurs Sept 9 7:30 pm @ Wellington v Amherstview
Sat Sept 11 7:00 pm @ Port Hope
Sun Sept 12 7:30 pm @ Amherstview
Thurs Sept 16 8:30 pm @ Wellington v Campbellford
Sat Sept 18 7:30 pm v Campbellford @ RCAF Arena or Warkworth