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Isles dump Dwyer after second round exit

Gordie Dwyer was let go as head coach of the Charlottetown Islanders after they won their first series in 11 years. His team was bounced from the playoffs by the Quebec Remparts in a sweep in the second round. (CP/Ghyslain Bergeron)
Gordie Dwyer was let go as head coach of the Charlottetown Islanders after they won their first series in 11 years. His team was bounced from the playoffs by the Quebec Remparts in a sweep in the second round. (CP/Ghyslain Bergeron)

The Charlottetown Islanders won their first playoff round in 11 years this season, but it wasn’t enough to save bench boss Gordie Dwyer’s job.

After praising his team’s ability to play through injuries and illness, Islanders GM Grant Sonier let the axe fall on head coach Dwyerafter four seasons at the helm.

Dwyer and the Islanders were swept out of the second round by the 2015 Memorial Cup hosts the Quebec Remparts, but it only the second time the team had made it past the league’s opening round of the post-season.

The team had to deal with several players on intravenous during and after their opening round six game thriller against the Sherbrooke Phoenix, and dealt with an injury to starting netminder Mason McDonald in that series.

Backup goalie Daryl MacCallum filled in admirably for his injured partner, coming back to win the series against the Phoenix, but it wasn’t enough to save his coach’s job.

Ultimately it was the four-game loss in the second round that was the last straw for GM Sonier, who saw his team drop three of the four games by three goals or more.

Dwyer, 37, is a coach who gets the most out of a hard working team, and he is a good motivator, much like his playing career, which saw him rack up nearly 400 PIMs in 108 games in the NHL for four teams, and a number of others in the minors. His Islanders teams might not have matched up to their opponents in the talent department, but they never took nights off and were in almost every game Dwyer coached.

He could slot back as an assistant with another team before he gets another crack as a bench boss. He has been on Team Canada’s radar in the past. Sonier, though, said that he feels another voice might be more beneficial for this Islanders team.

“The decision to hand the reigns over to a new head coach is one I felt had to be done in order to get the most out of this group,” he said in the team’s press release.

The team’s best players are in the draft-eligible age group, including 17-year-old forwards Daniel Sprong, Filip Chlapik and blueliner David Henley, and next season isn’t only a critical year for the team but also for their futures.

Dwyer creates the second head coaching vacancy in the Maritime Divison, as Ross Yates and the Saint John Sea Dogs parted ways earlier this month.

Dwyer spent four seasons behind the bench for the Islanders franchise, starting with the P.E.I. Rocket in 2011. He has a career record of 116 wins and 156 losses.

Keep in mind, Sonier inherited Dwyer when he took over two year ago with the ownership change and the team name change. Sonier will now look to hire his own man, and the control of the team is fully in his hands for the first time since he took over.

Sonier made some big promises in canning Dwyer, saying the team will make another step forward next season, and that he isn’t afraid to make moves for the now.

Last January, he had deals on the table but didn’t want to make moves and mess with his team’s potential.

He has no such worries now. He added his young team may get a boost at the trading period next year, saying his process of building the team might be pushed ahead next season.

“I think next year at the trade deadline is the year we look to maybe speed the process up,” Sonier said.

“We stripped this team down and built it back up and I have every confidence that next season will yield a level of success that the franchise has yet to see.

“This team is ready to take the next step. We believe as an organization that we have the right group of players and are anticipating a long playoff run next season.”