Eventually, in 1991 the Abbies and the Summerside Western Capitals left to join teams in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to form the Maritime Junior Hockey League.

In May 2008, it was announced that the Abbies' management had applied for a year's leave of absence from the Maritime Junior Hockey League, citing financial problems.

Their first year of Tier II saw them go deep and win the Eastern Canadian Championship in six games over the Detroit Jr. Red Wings of the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League, but lose the inaugural 1971 Centennial Cup 4-games-to-2 to the Alberta Junior Hockey League's Red Deer Rustlers.

In 1971, the MJAHL folded and the Islanders opted to play an independent schedule in instead of joining the neighbouring Junior A leagues in New Brunswick or Newfoundland.

For the 1971–72 season, the Islanders did not play a game until March 1972, playing a two-game exhibition series against the Hamilton Red Wings of the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (2-2 Tie and 4-3 Win) and then jumping directly into National Playdowns as PEI's only representative.

In the playoffs, the Islanders dropped the Moncton Hawks of the New Brunswick Junior Hockey League 4-games-to-1 to advance to the Eastern Centennial Cup Final.

In the final, they faced the Guelph CMC's of the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League and were swept in four games.