GrayJay Sports
League News
Bulldogs double Pens, Scotians blank Blues for third time this season
The AA Munro Antigonish Jr. Bulldogs found themselves in quite a hockey game Friday Nov 26 in Lantz but still managed to go up 3-0 and then hang on in the third period for a 4-2 win over the East Hants Penguins. The Jr. Bulldogs with the win increased their impressive record on 2021-2022 to 13-0-1 for 27 points. The Pens are now 7-6-0 on the season. The two teams played two fairly even periods but the Jr. Bulldogs were better at keeping the playing moving in the offensive zone than the Pens for periods of time. Sam Mattie and Fearghus MacDonald went in 2 on 1 but MacDonald could not complete a pass from Mattie and the puck went wide of the net. Back down the ice and the Pens Evan McHenry rang a shot off the Jr. Bulldogs crossbar. The Bulldogs scored first as Ben MacLellan connected with a wrist shot from the blue line.
The Pens came flying back but Ethan Wheeler’s pass over to Marshall Plaandowski and the Bulldogs Cody MacEachern came up with a nice glove save. The Bulldogs then made it 2-0 as Will Fitzsimmons took a wrist shot high to the left hand side of the Pens net from the tip of the late face-off circle on a pass from Sam MacNeill with 3:59 remaining in the first. Both teams had 11 shots on goal in the opening frame but the Jr. Bulldogs led 2-0.
To start the second, Brody Fraser of the Pens from in close let a hard shot go at MacEachern but to no avail. Sam Mattie of the Bulldogs made it 3-0 only 59 seconds into the middle period as he maintained control of the puck and kept control until he forced a scramble for the black rubber in front of the Pens net and shoved it home for what proved to be the game winner. The game changed somewhat at this point as the Pens really began to pick up their play. Morgan Lake of the Pens came in with a booming shot only to be blocked by MacEachern in the Antigonish nets. The Pens then did everything but score as Max Turner was in close, the first shot going off the pads of MacEachern as Turner trying as hard as he did could not get the puck up and over MacEachern who eventually ended up with a delay of game penalty with 9:48 yo play in the second. Brodie Fraser then scored the Pens first goal of the game with some great stick-handling and he ended up putting the puck into the Antigonish net on the low left side of MacEachern. East Hants outshot the Jr. Bulldogs 14-13 in the second but still trailed 3-1 over forty minutes. Less than five minutes into the third period, Marshall Plandowski picked up a loose puck in front of the Antigonish net and scored short-handed to bring his team back to within a goal at 3-2. Sam Mattie had a chance at the Bulldogs 4th goal while his team was playing short-handed when he went in on a break-away but could not get a clear shot away. East Hants really began applying pressure in the third with some excellent scoring opportunities again by Brody Fraser, Turner again and Lake who missed in close. The Pens outshot the Bulldogs 15-6 in the final period but the game ended with East Hants having their goalie pulled in the final 31 seconds, only to see Sam Grant grab a loose puck and skate in and put it into the empty Pens net for a 4-2 Antigonish final. East Hants held a 40-30 shots advantage. The Jr. Bulldogs will be looking for their 14th win of the season at home Sunday vs Brookfield while the Pens are idle until Friday Dec 4 when they host the Cumberland County Blues.
Elsewhere Friday……..The Sackville Blazers were surprised at CFB Shearwater Stadium by the Capstone Cole Harbour Colts by a score of 4-2. It was the Blazers last regular season visit this year to Shearwater having defeated the Colts 4-2 in the opening game of the season back on Oct 1. This game was only 30 seconds old when Degen Noble made it 1-0 Blazers before Benjamin Veinot came back to tie it for the Colts exactly 7 minutes later. The Blazers still took a 2-1 lead after the first period when Daniel Surrette tallied for the Blazers. The Colts reinvigorated in the second as Liam McCulloch and Connor McNamara score five minutes apart in the middle frame and the Colts took a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes. Mid-way through the third Will McRae scored an insurance goal for the Colts to give them a 4-2 win. This was the first game of what would turn into 3 games in 4 days for both clubs as the Colts move to Brookfield Saturday afternoon and the Blazers to Liverpool Sunday afternoon before the Colts and Blazers play for the third time this season Mon Nov 29 in Sackville at 7:30 p.m.
Pictou 5 Cumberland 0
The Pictou County Scotians completed a four game regular-season sweep over the Cumberland County Blues with their 5-0 shut-out in Springhill Friday night. Branden Connors recorded the shut-out for the Scotians who outshot the Blues 38-23. Matt Chediac kept his consistent scoring pace going for the Scotians giving them a 1-0 lead after twenty minutes. Connor Aucoin, another vaunted offensive threat all season for the Scotians and Blake Kontuk made it 3-0 Scotians after two periods before Aucoin with his second of the game and Thomas Kennaley scored the game’s final two goals in the third for the 5-0 Pictou win. Matt Carson picked up a pair of assists for the Scotians as well. In the four game regular season seres, the Scotians shut-out the Blues 3 times by scores of 4-0, 5-0 and 6-0 while winning a close one in Pictou 3-2.
Port Hawkesbury 6 Valley Maple Leafs 3
The Leafs opened their Cape Breton road trip in Port Hawkesbury Friday night and despite outshooting the Canadian Tire Store Pirates 42-39, simply could not find the back of the net as often as the Pirates did. Cullen MacEachern and Nolan McClelland scored 3:50 apart mid-way through the first to put the home team up 2-0. Then with less than 7 minutes to play in the first, both clubs exchanged goals exactly 2 minutes apart as the Leafs Eric Wozniewicz brought the Leafs back to within 2-1 before Jason Johnson made it 3-1 Pirates after twenty minutes. Gregor Yoell scored the eventual game winner for the Pirates and then Cullen MacEachern short-handed notched his 2nd of the game and the Pirates were up 5-1. Brady MacLean brought the Leafs back to within 3, 42 seconds after MacEachern’s short-handed effort and it was 5-2 Strait Pirates after 40 minutes. Gregor Yoell’s second of the game made it 6-2 Pirates wth under 8 minutes to play and Matthew Benedict rounded out the Leafs scoring with 32 seconds left in regulation to make the final 6-3 Canadian Tire Store Strait Pirates. Matthew Raikke added 3 assists for the Pirates.