he Port Hawkesbury Strait Pirates are struggling to find out how to play a far better third period in home games against the Eskasoni Jr. Eagles. For a second consecutive Friday, the 6-1-1 Jr. Eagles were involved in a narrow game with the Strait Pirates until the roof collapsed on the Pirates in both third periods. On Oct 28, Eskasoni outscored the Pirates 4-0 before winning in a shoot-out. Friday night, the two clubs exchanged a pair of goals each in the opening period, played a scoreless second period before Eskasoni scored four times in the third again to win it 6-3 over the 4-2-1 Pirates. The Eagles Marcellus Francis and Jacob Denny both scored twice with Francis now having 10 in eight games while also collecting two assists. Denny added one assist with his pair of goals and he and Francis share the League scoring race with 19 points apiece. Sonny Kabatay is 2 points back after scoring once and collecting a pair of assists while Dante Bique scored the game winner for the Eagles mid-way through the third period. For the Strait Pirates, Danny Gillis scored twice and added an assist and Gregpr Yoell had the other Pirates goal. The Strait Pirates did outshoot the Jr. Eagles 42-30. Elsewhere Friday night in a heavy slate of games:
East Hants 4 Liverpool 3
After winning their opening four games of the season, the Liverpool Privateers are now 1-4-0 in their past five games after losing a nail biter in Lantz 4-3 to the 7-0-2 East Hants Penguins. The clubs were tied 1-1 after twenty minutes on Dylan Paatterson’s goal for Liverpool and Ethan Wheeler’s power-play marker for the Pens with only 27 seconds left in the opening frame. The Pens went up 3-2 after forty minutes on goals from Ethan MacVicar and Cole Stewart while Alec Howie scored his 11th of the season on the power-play for the Privateers. Ryan Langlois for the Pens and Daniel Kline for the Privateers finished the game’s scoring in the third. The Pens narrowly outshot Liverpool 33-32.
Capstone Colts 2 Valley Maple Leafs 1
The Colts won their sixth in a row in Windsor Friday night against the Valley Maple Leafs. There was no scoring in the first period and Ryan Welsh’s goal on a wrist shot from the point to Leafs Goalie Aidan Durnford’s top right hand side made it 1-0 Colts after forty minutes. In the third period, Matt Jessome had the game winner for the Colts on another shot from the point which went into the air and in a scramble in front of the net, the puck fell behind Durnford. The game’s scoring concluded on a beautiful two-on-one passing play between the Leafs Ryder Tolson and Nick Oickle with Tolson carrying the puck down the left side and with Oickle wide-open, slipped the puck over to him and the Leafs trailed by a single goal. Dunrford played a great night between the pipes for the Leafs stopping 53 of the 55 shots he faced. Neither team could take advantage of playing 5 on 3 with the Leafs having that opportunity for 1.25 and the Colts for a full two minutes shortly after the Leafs goal when Brady MacLean took an interference penalty and the Leafs bench was slapped with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty with only 7:47 left in the game.
Antigonish 5 Pictou County 3
The Scotians were dealt their second loss of the season 5-2 by the Jr. Bulldogs. Ethan Twolan’s and Bradley Armstrong each connected for pair of goals with Chris Keyes adding the other goal. Thomas Kennaley and Joseph Mason tallied for the Scotians who were outshot 37-31 by the Jr. Bulldogs. Pictou is now preparing for a major showdown with Eskasoni Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. in Trenton. If the Scotians could win, they would finish the 1/4 mark of their 22-23 NSJHL Regular season only a point behind the first place Jr. Eagles.
Membertou 14 Cumberland County 1
Alexander Chenhall scored three times and added an assist while Coby McCarron scored twice and added 2 assists with Nathaniel Fuller and Alex MacKinnon also scoring pair. One of MacKinnon’s was short-handed. Other goal scorers for the now 3-5-0 Jr. Miners in their 14-1 onslaught were Mason Chapman, Brady Doucette, Adam and Jarrett Hicks and Landon Clarke. Tye Clarke picked up 3 assists for Membertou. Cody McKay tallied the lone marker for the Blues who despite giving up 14 goals held the Jr. Miners scoreless in the third period.
GrayJay Sports