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Eagles-Pirates goal fest in Eskasoni
An exceptionally busy Sunday on the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League schedule with a total of four games played. The following is a run down.
Eskasoni Jr. Eagles 5 Port Hawkesbury 3
The Jr. Eagles stayed within four points of the final playoff spot in the Sid Rowe Division after a hard-fought 5-3 win over the Port Hawkesbury Strait Pirates at the Dan K. Memorial Stevens Arena in Eskasoni Sunday evening. The teams played to first period draw of 0-0 before JC MacDonald of the Eagles and Dave Matthews of the Strait scored for their respective teams to tie the game at 1-1 after two periods. Matthews goal his first of two on the afternoon came with just 1:21 to play in the second. In the third, Nate Fuller and Curtis Novak scored to put the Eagles up 3-1 but Matthews with a short-handed marker quickly brought the Pirates back to within a single goal. Matthews also had an assist on the afternoon. James Jobes then made 4-2 Eagles into an empty net with 1:00 left in regulation but the Pirates were not finished as Matthew Ellis scored with 18 seconds left in regulation to bring the Strait back to within a single goal. However a mere four seconds later Josh MacKaskill scored the Eagles second empty net goal of the period as the Eagles won it 5-3. The Jr. Eagles received outstanding net minding from Andrew Burke in the Eagles net as he turned away 55 of 58 shots as the Eagles were outshot 58-23 but still won it 5-3. Eskasoni improved to 6-6-0 for 12 points while Port Hawkesbury remained tied with Pictou at 10-6 for 20 points and tied for second in the Sid Rowe Division.
Pictou County Scotians 3 Valley Maple Leafs 2 (Sudden Death Overtime)
The Leafs might only be 3-7-1 for 7 points in the Fred Fox Division but when teams come to the rink, they know they will have to work diligently as the Maple Leafs dropped their fourth one-goal game in their last five starts in Trenton Sunday evening, losing 3-2 to the County Scotians in Sudden Death Overtime thanks to the Scotians OT Goal by Thomas Kennaley only 57 seconds into the extra session. The Leafs were coming off a 4-3 loss to the Sackville Blazers Friday night at home. The teams were scoreless after one period before Ryan Frizzle put the Scotians ahead 1-0 after two periods. In the third Cal Marner scored to make it 2-0 Scotians before Nick Goodwin with his third of the weekend and Terran Baillie tallied five seconds apart to knot the game at 2-2. It then took Kennaley’s goal in OT to decide the contest. The Leafs outshot the Scotians 42-40 with Jackson Murphy turning away 37 of 40 shots for the Leafs and Eli James 40 of 42 for the Scotians. Pictou after losing to Port Hawkesbury Friday night took advantage of the Strait Pirates loss in Eskasoni to move back into a two-way tie for second place in the Rowe Division with a 10-6-0 record for 20 points.
Antigonish 5 Sackville 3
The Bulldogs had a 4-1 lead late in the third before the Blazers moved to within a single goal before Daniel Chaisson scored for the Bulldogs to give Antigonish he victory. Antigonish is now 14-1-0 on the season while the Blazers dropped to 7-3-2 for 16 points and third place in the Fred Fox Division. The Blazers Gavin Reeves scored the lone goal of the first period before Bradley Armstrong scored a pair in the second which proved to be 2 of his three goals on the game. 16 seconds into the third period, Armstrong’s tird goal of the game put the Jr. Bulldogs in front 3-1 before Venel Campbell who also collected a pair of assists madde it 4-1 Antigonish. Only 1:01 later the Blazers were back within 4-3 after goals from Keegan MacDonald and Degen Noble’s power-play marker. Will Fitzsimmons collected four assists fir the Bulldogs. The three goals fir Armstrong gave him four on the weekend as he had scored one in Saturday’s win over the South Shore Lumberjacks in Bridgewater.
South Shore Lumberjacks 7 Brookfield Elks 2
In Bridgewater, the Lumberjacks coming off a loss to Antigonish Saturday afternoon defeated the Elks 7-2 while outshooting the Elks 31-27. Will Stewart for the Elks and Nolan Greenlaw scored in the opening period before the Lumberjacks responded with an explosion of goals in the second scoring five times to take a 6-1 lead into the third period. Other goal scorers for the South Shore were Daniel Kline and Kyle Hopkins on the power-play, Cohen Westlake, Aaron Lake, Owen Cleary and Zach Evans. Calem McAndrew scored the other Elks goal in the third period. Joe Osborne collected four assists for the winning team.