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League News
Jr. Miners outlast Eskasoni
The races just keep getting closer and in both divisions of the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League, they only tightened more on Saturday with 4 games being played.
Membertou Jr. Miners 5 Eskasoni Jr. Eagles 3
The Jr. Miners were at 2-5 after seven games but now are beginning to strut their hockey abilities as they have gone 5-3-0 in their past eight games, their latest win coming before a home audience Saturday night as they defeated the first place Eskasoni Jr. Eagles 5-3. The win moved the Jr. Miners to within 2 points of the fourth and final playoff spot in the Sid Rowe Division. The Jr. Eagles and Jr. Miners played to a scoreless draw in the opening period before Marcellus Francis scored his 16th goal of the season for Eskasoni less than two minutes into the second period. The Jr. Miners came right back with three of their own, 2 by Alex MacKinnon and another by Nathaniel Fuller. Sonny Katabay with his 15th of the season for the Jr. Eagles saw the second period end with the Jr. Miners ahead 3-2. Dante Basque then tied it for Eskasoni with 10:11 to play. It stayed 3-3 until there was only 1:18 to play when Blake Cox scored his 12th of the season for the game winner as the Jr. Miners went up 4-3. Nathaniel Fuller’s 11th of the season into an empty net made the final 5-3 Membertou. Despite being in fifth place, this appears like it is going to be a wild race to the finish as the Jr. Miners now trail the Jr. Eagles by only five points with three teams stuck in the middle of the Eagles and Miners.
Capstone 4 East Hants 2
The Penguins after playing their opening 12 games without losing in regulation have now lost two straight in regulation after their 4-2 setback to the 12-2-1 1st Place Capstone Colts at C.F.B. Halifax in Shearwater Saturday night. The Colts held period leads of 1-0 and 3-2. Cooper Puma scored the lone goal of the first period to put the Colts up 1-0. A short-handed effort by the Penguins Marshall Plandowski mid-way through the second tied the game at 1-1 before Tyler Puma’s power-play goal and another from Will MacRae made it 3-1 Colts. Bruen Fisher then responded with a power-play marker and the teams went to their locker-rooms with the Colts up 3-2. The only scoring of the third was an empty-net goal by the Colts Liam Andrews with 55 seconds remaining in regulation. The win gives the Colts a 3 point lead atop 1st place in the Fox Division over the Penguins.
Valley 5 Liverpool 3
The Valley Maple Leafs seem to have been reborn as after starting their season 1-15, they won two consecutive games this past weekend, 7-1 over the Brookfield Elks and then 5-3 over the Liverpool Privateers Saturday night at the Queens Place Emera Centre. It kept the Privateers in 5th place, 3 points back of the Sackville Blazers and Brookfield Elks who are presently tied for third with 17 points. Thankfully for Liverpool’s 4-0-0 start as they have gone 2-8-2 in their past 12 games. Kyle Slingerland opened the scoring for the Leafs Saturday night and put the Valley up 1-0 after twenty minutes. Dylan Patterson and Daniel LeBlanc then put the home team up 2-1 in the second before Leafs Rookie Terran Baillie tied the game at 2-2 after forty minutes. Nolan Greenlaw then gave the Privateers a lead again at 3-2 in the third before a seismic collapse by the Privateers as they allowed the Leafs three consecutive goals including two power-play goals. Andrew McCarron scored two of the three giving him 6 in the 2 games since has returned to the Leafs line-up after a broken arm and Blake Deacon added the other.
Brookfield 2 Sackville 1
The Elks and Blazers have now played four games to date this season with the Blazers having a 2-2-0 record and the Elks a 2-1-1 record with all games being decided by a single goal and the teams scoring 13 goals apiece against each other. Tyler Boyd and Will Stewart scored for the Elks who led 1-0 after two periods on Boyd’s goal. Degen Noble replied for the Blazers who are now 8-8 -1. The Elks are now 8-5-1 and hold 3 games in hand on the Blazers. These two clubs will play their final two games of the regular season against each other on Tuesday Jan 10 in Brookfield and Monday, Jan 30th/2023 in Sackville.