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Leafs upset Colts with last minute goal
When one considers the Valley Maple Leafs entered their home game with the Capstone Colts having lost five games by one goal and two others when they trailed by a goal only to have an empty net marker scored, the team fully comprehends their playoff seeding could be far better. Coming off their best game of the season Sunday, Dec 3rd when they lost 3-1 to the East Hants Penguins, they knew Friday’s game with the Capstone Colts was a game they had to shut the barn door on. Well, it happened as the Leafs with the exception of approximately 4-6 minutes played solid hockey and scored when necessary as they nipped the Colts 4-3. Justin Banks notched the game winner with 1:08 left in regulation on the power-play as he ringed a shot into the net from 15 feet out. The Leafs with their fifth win of the season grabbed a 2-0 lead after one period as Nick Goodwin after losing the face-off in Colts territory quickly recovered and made it 1-0. Braden Aucoin provided the Maple Leafs with their second goal of the period. With only 4:16 left in the second, Cooper Puma scored the first of his two goals as he whipped home a rebound off Leafs net minder Jayden Croft, it was one of only 3 goals he allowed in facing 62 shots on the net. The Colts she were not always great ones but Croft still had to be extra sharp on the 12-14 critical saves he did make. The Leafs refused to quit and Nick Video put in a shot into a wide open net after Nick Goodwin split the Colts defence on a beautiful move and slid it over to Vidito with 2:35 left in the second period. The Leafs with their 3-1 led started cautiously in the third, then regained their form for 6-8 minutes before allowing the Colts to tie the game. Cooper Puma on the power play on a nice pass from Owen McDermid hit the high right side of the Leafs net to bring the Colts to within one. Xavier Coggins then tied it for the Colts at 3-3 with only 5:07 left on a bullet drive which eluded Croft. The Leafs did not quit and with 1:08 remaining in regulation, dinged a shot home to give the Leafs their 4-3 victory while destroying any chance the Colts had of moving into first place in the Fox Division prior to the League’s Christmas break. They trailed the Pens by 3 points entering Friday’s game, but, after the Penguins took care of Brookfield 7-1 in Lantz, it left the Colts five points out first place entering their critical game with the Pens at C.F.B. Shearwater 7:30 Saturday night. The Leafs travel to Sackville Monday night Dec 11 for a game with the Blazers and that will be it for the Leafs until they take on the Colts again in Windsor Friday, January 12 at 7:30 p.m. Elsewhere Friday night in two other League Games:
Antigonish 7 Eskasoni 0
The Jr. Bulldogs won their 20th game in 22 starts and stand at 20-1-1 after their shut-out of the Eskasoni Jr. Eagles. The Bulldogs outshot the Jr. Eagles 36-18 and received two goals and an assist from Daniel Chaisson as well as a goal and two assists from Cameron Bell and likewise from Ethan Twolan. Will Normandeau, Venel Campbell and Sam Grant recorded the other Jr. Bulldog goals. Adam Tkacz recorded his third shut-out of the season and maintains a .920 save percentage. Some major disagreements transpired in the third period as after 18 penalty minutes were assessed in the opening forty minutes, one of them a misconduct, officials stopped ply twice in the third period for a considerable period of time and ended up handing out eleven more game misconducts along with five minors meaning 128 penalty minutes were assessed for the entire game. Antigonish is now off until Sunday Jan 7 when they travel to Eskasoni to begin the final two months of the regular season and what appears to be another provincial title and possibly even another Don Johnson Memorial Cup Championship when that tournament is held in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland in late April.
East Hants 7 Brookfield 1
The Penguins opened a five point lead atop first place in the Fred Fox Division Standings with a relatively easy thumping of the Brookfield Elks in Lantz. The Penguins led 2-0 and 5-1 after the opening two periods. Morgan Lake scored a pair for the Pens while Devin Meagher added a goal and an assist with is gel markers going to Noah Comeau, Blake Irvine, Nick Veinot, and Jayson Hanson. Aiden Gloade was the lone Elks scorer who were only outshot 34-33 by the Pens. East Hants and Capstone collide in a critical game for the Colts at C.F.B. Shearwater Saturday at 7:30 p.m.