Privateer's News

PEI PRIVATEERS ADVANCE TO SEMIFINAL AGAINST MONCTON

July 25, 2010 - Halifax NS: The P.E.I. Privateers won their Maritime Football League quarter-final playoff game 22-15 against the Halifax Shockers Saturday in Halifax, N.S.

With the win the Privateers advance to the semifinals against the Moncton Mustangs next weekend.

Privateers coach Jan Wicherek said the win was part of the team’s overall progression. "We lost games in the regular season we had the potential to win. It all came together today," Wicherek said.

The Privateers scored two points on defence with a safety as they swarmed the Shockers in their own end zone early in the second quarter. P.E.I. held an 8-0 lead at the half after Chris (Tex) Mutch connected with Jeff Hillier for the first touchdown of the game.

In the second half, Halifax opened with two touchdowns to go up 15-8 as quarterback Danny (Vince) Williams connected on passes to Luke Williams and Herbie Berrigan.

Mutch got the Privateers back on track with a 40-yard pass to Hillier for his second touchdown of the day. The Kick was blocked but a single point later tied the game.

The winning touchdown came with less than two minutes left on a 12-yard run by All-Star Runningback, Dave Clark. The play was set up on an interception by defensive back Ryan Richardson who returned the ball from the 40-yard-line.

It was a defensive battle as Privateers captain Keighan Scott made 23 tackles from his middle linebacker position, and an interception. Rookie defensive lineman, Sebastian Ayangma tallied four sacks (tieing the privateers single-game record)and Jamie Gosbee and Adam MacDonald recovered fumbles.

The win was a reversal of the 38-26 loss to Halifax earlier in the regular season.

P.E.I. plays the undefeated Moncton Mustangs next Saturday at 4 p.m. in Moncton. The winner will earn a spot in the league's championship game.

CLARK LEADS PRIVATEERS OVER GLADIATORS

July 12, 2010 - Charlottetown PEI: The P.E.I. Privateers earned their second win of the Maritime Football League season with a 28-13 decision over the Capital Area (Fredericton) Gladiators on Saturday.

Privateers running back Dave Clark scored three touchdowns and ran for over 200 yards on the UPEI turf field.

Weather was a major factor as the skies opened up on numerous occasions, resulting in a slippery ball, bad exchanges, and a number of turnovers.

The Privateers opened the scoring by marching down the field on the opening drive, capped off by Clark’s one-yard run.

The Gladiators, after recovered fumbles and some undisciplined play by the Privateers, responded with two first-half touchdowns by Josh MacArthur and Jay Thomas.

The Privateers bounced back with a single point from Mike Miller, and a 38-yard rushing touchdown from Clark. He also ran in a two-point conversion on the drive.

The Privateers took command in the second half. Quarterback Chris Mutch hit Justin Murphy for a 55-yard pass-and-run play, and finished it with a 25-yard touchdown toss to tight end Jeremy Avery. Clark put the game out of reach with his third rushing touchdown of the day in the final quarter.

The Gladiators has a couple long passes to Jeff Taylor early in the game, but two interceptions by Ryan Richardson and one by Miller ended that strategy in the second half.

The win moved the Privateers into fourth place. P.E.I. plays its last regular-season game on the road Friday night against the Moncton Mustangs.

The league’s playoffs start in two weeks.

CLOSE LOSS DROPS PRIVATEERS TO 1-3

June 28, 2010 - Charlottetown PEI: Despite a late-game aerial attack by the P.E.I. Privateers, the Saint John Wanderers' solid running game proved to be the difference on Saturday as the Wanderers edged the Privateers 24-21 in a Maritime Football League game at UPEI.

The Wanderers ran for over 300 yards — most of that up the middle — against a Privateers’ defence that was missing injured defensive tackles Donnie Mitchell and Kosala Gunathilaka.

The Privateers, who fell to 1-3, opened the scoring in the first quarter on a spectacular 109-yard pass-and-run play from quarterback Chris Mutch to Jeff Hillier. However, Hillier went out with a shoulder injury a few plays later and did not return.

The Wanderers (3-1) then started to grind it out, connecting for two touchdowns and a field goal to take a 17-7 lead into halftime. They added another major in the third quarter. All-Star Runningback Jon Haines, Charlie Harron and Reuben Turner picked up majors for Saint John while Jeff McQuade kicked the field goal and all extra points.

The Wanderers had little success in the air as the Privateers’ defensive backfield shut down the passing game. Richard Lush and Adam MacDonald picked off passes for the Privateers. Lush also picked up a fumble and a sack on the day.

A short but intense rain shower in the fourth quarter seemed to refresh the Privateers as Mutch threw a 55-yard pass-and-run to Josh Hamilton to set up another 20-yard pass to Mitch Murphy for a touchdown. The Privateers went for two points and running back Dave Clark carried for the extra score.

After a solid defensive stand, including tackles in the Saint John backfield by Sebastian Ayangma and Keegan Scott, the Privateers took possession again and rolled to another touchdown with less than three minutes remaining.

Mutch repeated his early exploits as he again connected with Murphy for his second touchdown of the quarter. The Privateers tried an onside kick, but the Wanderers recovered the ball and converted on fourth-and-one twice to run the clock out and hang on to the win.

The Privateers have a bye this week, and will host the Fredericton Gladiators in their final regular-season home game in Charlottetown on July 10.

CLOSE LOSS DROPS PRIVATEERS TO 1-3

The Wanderers ran for over 300 yards — most of that up the middle — against a Privateers’ defence that was missing injured defensive tackles Donnie Mitchell and Kosala Gunathilaka.

The Privateers have a bye this week, and will host the Fredericton Gladiators in their final regular-season home game in Charlottetown on July 10.

DROPPING HOME-OPENER 'FRUSTRATING' FOR PRIVATEERS

June 21, 2010 - Charlottetown PEI: The P.E.I. Privateers dropped their home-opener 38-26 to the Halifax Shockers in a see-saw Maritime Football League shootout Saturday at the UPEI Turf Field.

“It was a frustrating defeat,” said Privateers coach Jan Wicherek. “We had the ability to control the game in the first half and didn’t contain their offence.”

A 20-yard pass play from quarterback Chris Mutch to Mitch Murphy, a 65-yard gallop by halfback Dave Clark, and Cory Mugridge's 22-yard field goal and both extra points helped the Privateers build a 17-14 halftime lead. Luke Williams and Ben Ferguson found the end zone for Halifax.

A J.R. Gerrior touchdown and Rick McMahon field goal gave the Shockers a third-quarter lead.

The Privateers tied the game at 24-24 with a three-yard plunge by Mutch. That play was set up by a spectacular 63-yard pass and run from Mutch to Justin (Juice) Murphy. Halifax answered back with another TD drive giving them a 31-24 lead.

It looked like Clark was on his way to a potential game-tieing touchdown in the fourth quarter as he danced his way through the Halifax defence and down the sideline for 60 yards before having the ball stripped on the Halifax two-yard line for a turnover.

One the next play the Privateers’ defence stepped up and pushed the Halifax attack back into their end zone as safety Richard Lush tackled Halifax’s ball carrier for the two point safety putting the Privateers down by only five points and getting the ball back.

The P.E.I. offence could not take advantage of the play and turned the ball over to Halifax on downs.

The Shockers grinded out a final touchdown as Ferguson carried for his second touchdown and the lead with just over a minute left to play. The two teams are now 1-2.

Mugridge is still perfect after three games, kicking two successful field goals and nine point-afters for 15 points.

The Privateers host the Saint John Wanderers Saturday at 4 p.m. at UPEI Turf Field.

MUTCH PULLS DOUBLE DUTY FOR PRIVATEERS

June 19, 2010 - Charlottetown PEI: PEI PLAYS HOME-OPENER IN MARITIME FOOTBALL LEAGUE TODAY.

When the P.E.I. Privateers host the Halifax Shockers in its Maritime Football League home opener today, Chris "Tex" Mutch will pull double duty. Mutch’s jobs as Privateers quarterback and offensive co-ordinator will be on display after the action starts at 5 p.m. at the UPEI Turf Field.

The Privateers (1-1) have benefitted from Mutch's football stop in Ardmore, Okla., following his parent’s, Andrew and Lisa, move to the United States. He returned to Atlantic Canada in 2003 then joined the Mount Allison University football program four years later.

“Ardmore High (School) had a larger budget, more coaches and a larger stadium then most university football programs in Canada,” said Mutch, who calls his own plays on the field. “I learned football fundamentals in Oklahoma, but I was taught offensive strategy by Coach Jeffrey (Kelly) at Mount A. He really taught us how to integrate the resources you have in players with the appropriate plays.”

Mutch, a Charlottetown native, played receiver and safety in Ardmore and tight end and quarterback at Mount A (2007-09). He joined the Privateers in their inaugural season in 2004.

Over the next six seasons, he developed into an all-star quarterback, earning MVP of the MFL all-star game, played with the Canadian national senior amateur football team against an American squad in Las Vegas, and was named to the MFL’s all-decade team in its 10th anniversary season in 2010.

So far this year, the Privateers scored 46 points and given up 22. It's tied with the Dartmouth Knights for third place at 1-1.

Halifax is 0-2 and surrendered almost three times as many points (54) as it has scored (20).

P.E.I. won its season opening game 29-0 over the Capital Area Gladiators of Fredericton, N.B., but lost to Dartmouth 22-17 a week ago in Nova Scotia.

"Tex" Mutch may have received his nickname from a teammate in 2003 who defaulted to Texas as the source of Mutch's southern accent, but as Mutch said, there’s no confusing why he's been successful.

“We have a lot of talent on the Privateers offence this year,” said Mutch, who’s offensive crew includes all-star receivers Mitch Murphy, Jeff Hillier, and last year’s league-leading running back, Dave Clark.

DARTMOUTH RALLIES IN SECOND HALF TO DOWN PRIVATEERS

June 12, 2010 - Dartmouth NS: The P.E.I. Privateers of the Maritime Football League suffered their first loss of the season in a close 22-17 battle with the Dartmouth Knights on Saturday.

The Privateers led 17-1 at halftime but injuries to key Privateer players allowed the Knights to come back in the second half, talking the lead with less than two minutes remaining.

Dartmouth opened the scoring with a single point on a missed field goal attempt. The Privateers scored the first major of the game when Dave Clark took an on-side position on a Mike Miller punt and pounced on a loose ball in the Dartmouth end zone. Clark also picked off a Tristan Croft pass in the endzone as the Privateers defense chased Dartmouth's starting quarterback out of the game.

The Privateer’s second major came later in the half when Justin Guillemette snagged a 5-yard pass from quarterback Chris Mutch for the major.

Cory Mugridge rounded out the Privateers scoring by hitting both extra points and a 19-yard field goal. The best scoring drive by Dartmouth was snuffed when defensive back Adam MacDonald picked off another Knights pass.

The second half was a different story. With receivers Mitch Murphy and Jeff Hillier along with lineman TJ Foley and linebacker Mike Miller out of the game a number of players had to do double duty playing both offense and defense.

The leader was defensive captain Kieghan Scott who filled in on the offensive line and made key tackles from his linebacker position. The constant pressure from the Dartmouth squad resulted in one touchdown in the third quarter and two in the final frame. The last came on a three yard plunge by Cal Sparks with less than two minutes to play.

Quarterback Chris Mutch pushed to regain the lead with two quick pin-point passes to Justin Murphy and Josh Hamilton to get the ball to the Knights thirty yard line but the PEI crew ran out of time.

The Privateers fall to 1-1 with the loss. They will play their home opener against Halifax Saturday at 5 p.m. at UPEI. Halifax comes into the contest after two straight losses in league play.

PRIVATEERS MAUL GLADIATORS 29-0 in MFL OPENER

June 05, 2010 - Moncton NB: If there were any questions regarding the ability of the PEI Privateers, the answer came quickly in their season opener on the road against the Capital Area (Fredericton) Gladiators. On only the seconds play from scrimmage, quarterback Chris “Tex” Mutch hooked up with wideout Jeff Hillier on a 73 yard pass and run play to score the first points of the game. The PEI senior football team never looked back as they rolled to a 28-0 lead after the first half and a convincing 29-0 win in the Maritime Football League season opener for both teams Saturday night.

The game was played in Moncton as part of a three game celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Maritime Football League. In other opening weekend action defending league champions Moncton Mustangs edged Dartmouth 16-6 while the Saint John Wanderers defeated Halifax 24-8.

Veteran Mitch Murphy lead the Privateers scoring with two touchdowns in the first half on passes of 25 and 19 yards from Mutch. All star running back Dave Clark added a nine yard running touchdown and carried the ball for over 100 yards on the night. Rookie Cory Mugridge converted all four singles and punter Mike Miller scored a single in the third quarter when he punted the ball into the Gladiator’s end zone where Matt Laroque tackled the ball carrier before he crossed his own goal line.

In the second half defence was the name of the game for the Privateers. Long time Privateers Colin MacLeod and Gary Rozell left huge holes in the Privateers defense at tackle and safety when they retired at the end of last season. Questions about who would fill in these key spots were answered when veteran Donnie Mitchell moved to defensive tackle and dominated the center of the field and former linebacker Richard Lush moved to safety and deflected passes all evening. Newly appointed defensive captain Kieghan Scott made tackles all over the field. The high point for the defense came in the third quarter when Capital Area went for it all on fourth-and-one but turned it over on downs thanks to a huge stop by Miller and Scott. Scott added more stats to his defensive player of the game award with an interception on the Privateers 13 yard line in the fourth quarter that spoiled any Gladiators’ thoughts of scoring. Rookie Paul MacDonald converted his rugby expertise to football and made a number of key tackles on the day.

Defensive coach Jamie Gosbee, patrolling the sidelines after a long Privateer playing career, was pleased with how quickly the defence came together for the shutout. “Or veterans stepped up and the rookies filled in the gaps. The play of our defence as a single unit, not individuals, was the difference tonight” said Gosbee.

Quarterback Chris “Tex” Mutch was awarded the MVP of the game because of his pin-point passing and his ability to run out of trouble when pursued. The Privateers were also picked as “Team of the Day” because of their dominant play.

The Privateers stay on the road for the second week of league action as they travel to Dartmouth next Saturday. They open their 2010 home season on Saturday; June 19th, when they host Halifax Shockers at 5pm at UPEI.

PRIVATEERS KICK OFF SEASON ON THE ROAD

June 03, 2010 - Charlottetown: The PEI Privateers kick off their 2010 Maritime Football League season this Saturday in Moncton as part of the League’s 10th Anniversary celebrations. The Privateers will play Capital Area (Fredericton) Gladiators in the evening game of a 3 game football festival at Rocky Stone Memorial Field in Moncton. The Privateers defeated the Gladiators in their only meeting last year.

The MFL 10th Anniversary celebrations kick off at 1 PM with the Moncton Mustangs hosting the Dartmouth Knights. At 4 PM Saint John Wanderers battle the Halifax Shockers and the Privateers-Gladiators game gets underway at 8 PM. Between the games there will be live music by the band "Loaded Dice", a BBQ and other festivities. The cost is $5 for the entire day and all proceeds from the day go to the Canadian Cancer Society.

The Privateers go into the game with a number of new players along with a new Head Coach as former Privateers captain Jan Wicherek is now patrolling the sidelines.

All-Star quarterback Chris “Tex” Mutch will have both a solid running game and an aerial attack at his disposal. The backfield will see last year’s top rusher Dave Clark supported by newcomer Ernesto Carranza and fullback Mike MacVane. PEI Tackle League MVP Jeff Hillier and 2009 MFL Receiver of the year Mitch Murphy will be two targets for Mutch’s passes. Both Hillier and Murphy were All-Stars last season. They will be joined this year by newcomer Josh Hamilton, a Mt. Allison football grad and veteran Jeremy Avery, both whom will be playing Tight End, and wideouts Justin Guillemette, Chris Dohbiggin, and Justin Murphy.

The offensive line is a mix of experience and new faces. Veterans Mark Green, Aaron MacIsaac, Derek James, and Tim Chen will be joined by a group of rookies from the New Brunswick football programs, former Saint John Longhorn Harrison Blizzard and Oromocto High School grad Matt Larocque. Alex Dickens also hails from NB and will play linebacker. Brian Tancowny, the new President of Football PEI will also be playing on the offensive line.

The Privateer defense will be anchored by long-time veterans Keegan Scott, Mike Miller, TeeJay Foley, and Richard Lush who has returned after his second year with the University of Manitoba Bisons. Ryan Richardson and Adam MacDonald lock down the corners.

There are a number of rookies on defense including rugby star Paul MacDonald, Cory Mugridge, Spencer Jay, Sebastian Ayangma and Thomas McCabe. The defensive line will miss three-time League All-Star Colin MacLeod but will call upon Donnie Mitchell and 2nd year players Kosala Gunathilaka and Bryan Champion to fill that void.

“We are solid on both sides of the ball this year,” says Wicherek. “It will just be a case of new players getting comfortable with their positions and establishing their roles.”

The Privateers will play Dartmouth on the road on June 12th before hosting the Halifax Shockers in their home opener on June 19th at UPEI.

PRIVATEERS ANNOUNCE NEW COACHING STAFF!

April 10, 2010 - Charlottetown: Terry Allen, General Manager of the PEI Privateers of the Maritime Football League announced the appointment of Jan Wicherek as new head coach starting immediately. Wicherek is a former all-star safety and captain of the Privateers as well as a player at Mount Allison University.

Wicherek played minor football in the Moncton Minor Football System and high school football at J.M.A. Armstrong High School in Salisbury NB. His playing career was cut short by an injury in his second year at Mt. Allison.

He coached minor and high school football in New Brunswick before moving to PEI. He rejoined the playing ranks in 2004 with the Privateers and was named a team captain in 2009.

“We are sad to see Jan leave the playing ranks”, said Allen, “but we are very pleased to see a person with his football knowledge and leadership experience take over at the helm of the Privateers”. Wicherek works as a commercial and residential property appraiser in PEI.

Another former Privateer player will be helping on the sidelines in 2010. Former linebacker and team captain Jamie Gosbee will be working as a defensive co-coordinator. He will bring 6 years of playing experience at the senior level and was the head coach of the Cornwall Timberwolves of the PEI Tackle Football League in the fall of 2009.

FOOTBALL PRIVATEERS LOOKING FOR CREW!

May 05, 2009 - Charlottetown: The PEI Privateers are looking for people to join their crew and help out with the operation of all aspects of the senior men's football team. The Privateers are a senior men's tackle football team playing in the 10 team Maritime Football League. They play their first home game of the season on June 6 th , 4 PM at the UPEI Turf Field in Charlottetown.

The Privateers are looking for volunteers to help in all aspects of team operation. “We need people in all areas” says Terry Allen, Privateers General Manager. “We need people to work with the team from equipment managers to trainers, we need people working during our home games and we need people to help operate the team in an administrative capacity. If you want to get involved, we have a job for you” he went on to say.

The Privateers practice once a week and play home and away games on weekend through late July. PEI will also host the league All Star Game on August 15 th in Charlottetown.

If you are interested in being part of the Privateer Crew or would like more information contact:

Terry Allen – General Manager

902 566 - 1987 (day)

902 566 - 9187 (home)

E-mail: tallen@futurelearning.com