The 29-year-old native of Bridgewater, N.S. is a steady import defenceman for the Royals in the four-team Central West Senior Hockey League and his only mission is helping the team hoist the Herder Memorial Trophy as senior hockey champions in Newfoundland and Labrador.
MacDonald, who logs a lot of minutes paired with Justin Pender, knows a thing or two about how to achieve success. He won a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship with the Moncton Wildcats and he helped Saint Mary’s Huskies win a Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship during his career.
He is a full-time student during the week, studying power engineering at the Nova Scotia Community College, but when it comes to the weekend he reports to work. It’s a day at the office for MacDonald when he joins the Royals because hockey is how he makes a living while he is a student who recently got married.
Now living in Baddeck with his wife Samantha, MacDonald takes pride in his game and makes sure he’s prepared to play every weekend knowing full well there’s high expectations placed on imports brought in to compete for the Herder.
He works out at the gym on a regular basis during the week and keeps his legs moving by getting in a couple of skates each week before catching a flight to the Rock.
He’s not coming to party. He travels on the weekends for the purpose of playing a game he loves and being part of a group that has the common goal of winning a championship.
“I’m not going to travel over there to lose or just not care,” MacDonald said when asked about his level of commitment. “Right now it’s my job so I’m taking it very seriously. I want to win as much as the next guy so I’m trying to give it 100 per cent every time I go over there.”
At the midway mark of his first season, also his first time ever experiencing the province, MacDonald likes the group of guys he shares the ice with and believes everybody is on the same page when it comes to why they spend their weekends together.
He believes the team has to make a better effort on the defensive side of the puck and that’s where he knows he can help because he takes pride in taking care of his own end of the ice before he joins the rush.
He’s poised for a run at another hockey championship
“If we can play 60 minutes every night I think we will be a good team in the playoffs and we can get the city another Herder,” he said.
The Royals clash with the Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts in a two-game series this weekend — Saturday 7:30 p.m. with Teddy Toss before game and Sunday 2 p.m. — at the civic centre in Corner Brook.
The 29-year-old native of Bridgewater, N.S. is a steady import defenceman for the Royals in the four-team Central West Senior Hockey League and his only mission is helping the team hoist the Herder Memorial Trophy as senior hockey champions in Newfoundland and Labrador.
MacDonald, who logs a lot of minutes paired with Justin Pender, knows a thing or two about how to achieve success. He won a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship with the Moncton Wildcats and he helped Saint Mary’s Huskies win a Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship during his career.
He is a full-time student during the week, studying power engineering at the Nova Scotia Community College, but when it comes to the weekend he reports to work. It’s a day at the office for MacDonald when he joins the Royals because hockey is how he makes a living while he is a student who recently got married.
Now living in Baddeck with his wife Samantha, MacDonald takes pride in his game and makes sure he’s prepared to play every weekend knowing full well there’s high expectations placed on imports brought in to compete for the Herder.
He works out at the gym on a regular basis during the week and keeps his legs moving by getting in a couple of skates each week before catching a flight to the Rock.
He’s not coming to party. He travels on the weekends for the purpose of playing a game he loves and being part of a group that has the common goal of winning a championship.
“I’m not going to travel over there to lose or just not care,” MacDonald said when asked about his level of commitment. “Right now it’s my job so I’m taking it very seriously. I want to win as much as the next guy so I’m trying to give it 100 per cent every time I go over there.”
At the midway mark of his first season, also his first time ever experiencing the province, MacDonald likes the group of guys he shares the ice with and believes everybody is on the same page when it comes to why they spend their weekends together.
He believes the team has to make a better effort on the defensive side of the puck and that’s where he knows he can help because he takes pride in taking care of his own end of the ice before he joins the rush.
He’s poised for a run at another hockey championship
“If we can play 60 minutes every night I think we will be a good team in the playoffs and we can get the city another Herder,” he said.
The Royals clash with the Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts in a two-game series this weekend — Saturday 7:30 p.m. with Teddy Toss before game and Sunday 2 p.m. — at the civic centre in Corner Brook.
