GrayJay Sports
League News
Jr. Miners-Pictou open in Pictou Thurs.
Fox and Rowe Division Best-of-Seven Semi-Finals now set to go
It will be the East Hants Penguins and the Sackville Blazers and the Liverpool Privateers going up against the Capstone Colts in the Best-of-Seven Fred Fox Division Semi-Finals after the Pens and Privateers advanced Saturday night. First off in Liverpool:
Liverpool 6 Valley Maple Leafs 1
The Privateers outshot the Maple Leafs 158-69 over the 3 games in their Best-of-Five Mini Series or an average of 52-23 per game. They also outscored the Leafs 21-8 including 6-1 in the series clincher Saturday night at Queens Place Emera Centre. Alec Howie led the way for the Privateers with a pair of second period goals while assisting on two others. Joe Osborne and Carson Gallant scored a pair in the first period while Daniel Kline and Riley Hurlburt scored power-play goals in the third period for Liverpool. Kyle Slingerland scored in the second for the Leafs, 19 seconds after Howie’s first goal put the Privateers up 3-0. Osborne also collected a pair of assists for the Privateers. The Best-of-Seven Schedule between the Privateers and Colts with the Colts having home-ice advantage is being worked on.
East Hants 7 Brookfield Elks 3
The Penguins swept the Elks in three straight, their third win coming Saturday in Brookfield by a score of 7-3. The Pens took a 3-0 lead after twenty minutes and it stayed that way until Luke MacDonald’s goal for the Elks early in the third period made it 3-1. Then in a span of 1:59, Sean Freeman scored the game winner for the Penguins, Coady Jollymore-Godfrey brought the Elks back to within a pair before Devin Meagher scored his second of the game to put the Penguins ahead 5-2. Later in the third Evan McHenry scored his 2nd of the game and Jollymore-Godfrey added his second of the game in a span of 37 seconds to make it 6-3 Penguins. The final goal of the game came from the stick of the Pens Brody Fraser to make the final 7-3. The Pens other goal was scored by Noah Parent. Meagher also added an assist for the Pens and Logan Colter connected for three assists for East Hants who outshot the Elks 50-39. The Elks were outscored 19-5 in the three games and outshot 157-115. East Hants and Sackville open their Best-of-Seven Fred Fox Divisional Semi-Final Friday night in Lantz at 7:30 before returning to Sackville Monday night March 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Port Hawkesbury 4 Eskasoni Jr. Eagles 1
MacQueen Kendall scored with only 3 seconds left in the opening period to put the Jr. Eagles ahead 1-0 after twenty minutes but it ended up being the only goal of the game for the Jr. Eagles and Cameron Gillis and Gregor Yoell scored in the second period for the Strait and with the Pirates leading 2-1, Cullen MacEachern and Danny Gillis scored in the final 2:34 of the third to give the Strait Pirates their 4-1 win and a sweep of their Sid Rowe Best-of-Five Divisional Mini-series 3-0. The Strait Pirates outshot the Jr. Eagles 32-24. Port Hawkesbury will now play the verocious 21-0-1 Antigonish Jr. Bulldogs in one of two Sid Rowe Best-of-Seven Divisional Semi-Finals. Games 1 and 2 will be in Antigonish Friday March 11 and Sunday March 13. Game time for Friday is 7:30 and for Sunday 7:00 p.m.
Membertou Jr. Miners 9 Cumberland County Blues 4
The Jr. Miners Josh MacKay scored three times and added an assist, his first goal coming only 40 seconds after the opening face-off to lead the Jr. Miners to their 9-4 win and a 2-0 Lead in their Best-of-Five Mini Series. MacKay then made it 2-0 and before the first period was complete, Connor MacIntyre and AJ Ley both scored to give the Jr. Miners a 4-0 lead after twenty minutes. Drew Baldwin scored the game winner Saturday night to make it 5-0 Jr. Miners. Will Harrison then put the Blues on the Board with a power-play goal before Brady MacLean and Andrew McCarron scored between the Blues Aidan McBurnie to make it 7-2 after forty minutes. Daniel MacKenzie showed there was still plenty of hockey in the blues as he scored a pair to bring the blues to within 7-4 before Josh MacKay completed his hat-trick and Blake Cox scored in the final stages of the third to make the final 9-4.
Membertou Jr. Miners 7 Cumberland County 6
The two teams went right back at it Sunday afternoon in Springhill and this was the hardest fought game of the series as just when the Jr.Miners thought they had some breathing space, the Blues would roar back and begin to make life uncomfortable before the Jr. Miners hung on for their 7-6 win and 3-0 Series win. The Jr. Miners took a 4-0 lead after twenty minutes on goals from Nathaniel Fuller, Brady MacLean, Drew Baldwin and Liam Burke. The Blues came out in the second breathing fire as they scored four straight goals including Noah Sutherland on a penalty-shot to tie the game 4-4. Ezekiel Cormier, Burke Beed and Nate Stone were the other Blues scorers. With 5:11 left in the second, Blake Cox put the Jr. Miners back in front 5-4. Coby McCarron and Fuller’s second goal put the Jr. Miners back up 7-4 but the Blues refused to quit and goals by Alex Griffiths and Noah Sutherland’s second of the game with 1:22 remaining in regulation pulled the Blues to with 7-6 but they could not get the equalizer and fell in three straight. The Jr. Miners will now travel to Pictou Thursday night for the opening game in their Best-of-Seven Rowe Divisional Semi-Final with the Pictou County Scotians at 6:30 in Trenton. Game 2 will be back in Membertou Saturday night at 7:30 before returning to Pictou Sunday March 13 at 6:30 p.m.