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League News
NSJHL RESUMES WITH THREE GAMES
After a three-week Christmas break for ten of the twelve Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League teams, play resumes again tonight with playoff spots desperately trying to be secured leading to the end of the regular season schedule in a mere 50 days on Sunday, Feb 25/2023. Three games are on the schedule tonight with the 8-10-1 Sackville Blazers travelling to Lantz to face the 11-2-2 East Hants Penguins. This will be the fourth meeting of the season between these two clubs with the Pens holding a record of 2-1-0 in the three contests while the Blazers are 1-1-1. A huge game for both clubs as East Hants will be trying to overtake the Capstone Colts for first place in the Fred Fox Division by a single point as the Colts are presently 12-2-1. The Blazers biggest hang-up entering the second half of the season is that despite trailing the third place Brookfield Elks by three points for third place and being one point ahead of the Liverpool Privateers for the fourth and final playoff spot, the Blazers have played two more games than Liverpool and three more than the Elks, so every game for the Blazers will be critical as they will be for all teams with the majority still hopeful of a berth in the Don Johnson Memorial Cup Atlantic Junior Hockey Championship In Liverpool later this spring.
In the other games tonight, the 11-3-1 Antigonish Jr. Bulldogs will travel to Cumberland to play the Blues. The Bulldogs with two games in hand on the 13-3-1 Eskasoni Jr. Eagles are presently 4 points behind the Jr. Eagles in the hunt for first place in the Sid Rowe Division. In the third game tonight, Eskasoni will travel to Port Hawkesbury to play the Strait. Eskasoni is 3-0 against the Strait this season while the Pirates are 0-2-1. The Strait Pirates who are 9-5-1 are tied with the Pictou County Scotians for third place in the Rowe Division with 19 points, 4 ahead of the 7-12-1 Membertou Jr. Miners. Membertou will have a close eye on Friday night’s game as they will host the Strait Pirates Sunday evening. The only other game Saturday will be a huge game in Brookfield between the Liverpool Privateers and the Elks. A win for the Privateers would put them within two points of the third place Elks and move them ahead of the Blazers into the fourth and final playoff spot in the Fox Division.
Great hockey is in store with the playoff races alive and kicking strongly as the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League swings back into action tonight.