The Chilliwack Chiefs are set in net for the 2020-21 season.
Veteran goaltender Mathieu Caron has confirmed he will be back for one more season, continuing to fine tune his game in the BCHL before he eventually joins the NCAA’s Brown Bears. The Abbotsford product was supposed to head to Brown U this fall, but after talking things through with head coach Brendan Whittet and Chilliwack Chiefs hockey boss Brian Maloney, the 20 year old decided he wasn’t quite ready.
“I am excited to be back in Chilliwack for my last year of juniors,” Caron said. “Coach Maloney has put together an excellent team, including bringing in an excellent goalie partner in Ethan (Pearson), who I look forward to working with. I look forward to being part of a team in a position to make a run for another championship.”
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Caron is the longest serving member of the Chiefs, with 119 regular season and playoff appearances on his resume. He was part of the 2018 RBC Cup championship team.
“We are obviously really excited to have Mathieu back in the fold next season,” Maloney said. “He is a person with great work ethic and drive. Coupled with his experience in the league, we feel that we will have one of the strongest tandems in the league along with Ethan Pearson, who we are extremely excited about.
“Mathieu has been through a lot these past couple of seasons. It has been an opportunity for him to grow as a person and teammate, and we are really excited to have him back working with our group and leading by example.”
Pearson, the other half of Chilliwack’s 2020-21 goaltending tandem, is a highly regarded 18 year old. The Quebec City native is big at six-foot-two and 185 pounds, and posted a 1.64 goals-against average and 92.1 save percentage with the prestigious Mount St. Charles Academy Program last season.
“Ethan is a goaltender we have had our eye on over the course of the past season,” Maloney noted. “Obviously his size is a huge advantage, but we are very happy with his athletic ability, and the calm nature with which he plays his position.”
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