Major Midget to Memorial Cup Champion

Andrew Macleod entered his final year of Major Midget with two things: A vengeance and a plan for success.  10 months later Andrew found himself lifting the Memorial Cup over his head as part of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.  He didn’t get here by just hoping that someday things would take a turn in his favor;  he got there by instilling a blue collar work ethic and a mentality that anything was possible.  Andrew entered his 3^rd and final season with the Weeks Major Midgets with a chip on his shoulder.  The previous two seasons Andrew were a learning experience, as they usually are for many goaltenders in the NSMMHL.  Andrew posted a 3.72 G.A.A and a 8-8 record in 17 games in his initial season with the Weeks, one where he saw the major of starts go to 3^rd year goalie Jack Lynds.  The following year saw Andrew appear in 21 games and finished with a 10-8 record and a 3.43 G.A.A, splitting most starts with Moncton Wildcats draft pick Alec MacDonald. 
 
After completing his 2^nd year with the Weeks Major Midgets, Andrew caught the eye of his local Jr A team, the Pictou County Crushers.  The Crushers used their 8^th round selection to draft Andrew 93^rd overall.  That same summer the Saint John Sea Dogs came calling on Andrew as well.  The Sea Dogs signed Andrew as a free agent and invited him to the QMJHL rookie showcase in Moncton in August.  The showcase is used for the Maritime based teams in the QMJHL to have a first look at rookies and free agent signings.  While there Andrew faced some future top talent in the QMJHL such as Ryan Francis and Justin Barron.  After completing the showcase Andrew was unfortunately released by the Sea Dogs on August 21, only 27 days after being signed as a free agent.  This type of adversity can sometimes crush a young hockey player and cause someone to question whether their opportunity to play at a higher level has passed them by.  However this was not the case with Andrew.
 
Andrew returned to the Weeks for his 3^rd season with a clear vision and a plan to get there.  He started the season opener with a 38 save performance in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Halifax Macs in a game that was featured on Eastlink TV.  This was the already the beginning of an eye opening season that was ahead for Andrew.  He followed his season opening performance up with 4 straight wins, including 2 shutouts.  This caught the attention of Bathurst goalie Coach Dave Kennedy who called Andrew before practice on October 3, 2017.  This conversation was one that Andrew had hoped would happen again – he was being signed as a free agent to the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan.  Andrew remembers this call vividly “I was star struck.  It gave me a ton of confidence for the season.” 
His personal win streak was finally broken up once again by the  Halifax Macs, again by a score of 3-2, only this time Andrew made 47 saves on 50 shots from the high powered Macs. Andrew continued this level of success for the remainder of the year and earned 10 of the Weeks 11 wins on the season.  He finished the 2017-18 season with a 10-11 record, a 2.69 G.A.A and a .930 Save Percentage.  This earned Andrew 1^st team all star goaltender at the 2018 NSMMHL awards banquet.
 
On March 3^rd Andrew received another phone call from Bathurst, this time asking if he would join them at home vs Charlottetown and on a Maritime road trip through Charlottetown and Halifax to end the season.  Acadie-Bathurst finished the 2017-18 season in 2^nd place in the QMJHL and steamrolled their way through the playoffs and into the finals with Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, the QMJHL’s #1 team after the regular season.  The Titan contacted Andrew at this time and notified him that if they were successful in the league finals and earned their way to the Memorial Cup in Regina he would be invited to join them. 
 
As if the season had already provided enough opportunities, the Titan knocked off the Armada in 6 games in the league finals earning a trip for themselves and Andrew to Regina to face the CHL’s best for the MasterCard Memorial Cup.  During his time in Regina Andrew practiced with the Titan and watched the games from the stands.  Acadie-Bathurst went through the Memorial Cup round robin with a 2-1-0 record and qualified automatically for the Memorial Cup final on May 27.  Bathurst faced off with the hosts, Regina Pats, in a game that saw Bathurst score once in the 1^st period and twice in the 3^rd en route to a 3-0 victory and capturing the Memorial Cup.
 
Andrew became the 2^nd Weeks Major Midget alumni to win the Memorial cup, the 1^st being Colin White with the Hull Olympique.
 
Andrew is hoping that this experience will provide him with an opportunity to land a spot in Bathurst next year saying “I am very excited to see what the future holds for me as long as I keep working hard and being pushed by my coaches that I have back at home.”