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Colts-Blazers preparing for Game 1
The Capstone Colts lost only 8 games, 6 in regulation, during the 2023-24 NSJHL Regular Season but two of those losses in regulation came against the Sackville Blazers, the team the Colts will open up against in one of two Best-of-Seven Semi-Finals in the Fred Fox Division. The Colts finished in first place in the Fox with a record of 24-6-2 for 50 points, one point ahead of the South Shore Lumberjacks while the Blazers had to settle for fourth place with 39 points and a record of 17-10-5. In their season series, the Blazers took the opening two games by scores of 5-2 and 6-3 before the Colts came back for a 7-2 win and a 2-1 overtime win. Sackville was 2-1-1 over the four games while the Colts were 2-2-0. Both teams scored 14 goals apiece in the four games.
Colts Coach Justin Boone whose team lost in the provincial championship series to Antigonish in 22-23, said “playing the Blazers is never easy and they more than proved that in the regular season”. The Colts were the fourth highest scoring team in the League in 23-24 with 112 goals and were the second best defensive club allowing 82 goals. Boone was asked if he was going to play the series any different way with the Blazers and he replied, “no, we have to stick to our style”. Liam Andrews captured the League’s Goal Scoring Award finishing with 24 on the season, one more than Devin Meagher of the East Hants Penguins who had 23. Boone was asked if he was at all concerned that one player did so much of the scoring for the Colts and he said, “no, Liam came into his own this season and showed how he became the accomplished player he was”. He added, we still had five other players score 55 goals and assisted Andrews immensely.” Cooper Puma finished second in scoring with 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points while Ben Fraser picked up in a mid-season trade with the Brookfield Elks netted 11 goals and garnered 17 assists for 28 points. Benjamin Veinot had 10 goals, Cole Good 12 and Trainer McCulloch 11. As for the Blazers, Boone said, “they have plenty of depth up front and Degen Noble is a player you can never take your eye off of”. Noble led the Blazers in scoring with 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points. He continued saying, “I believe this series will be a great match-up between two teams who are veterans of the playoff wars. Jaden Hardie, Justin Hardie and Lawson Cook all tied for second in scoring for the Blazers with each collecting 23 points.
As for goaltending, Conar Brace is expected to be the main cog in the Colts net finishing with a 15-3 record, a 2.44 Goals Against Average and a .923 save percentage while also recording a pair of shut-outs. Connor Blackwood after joining the Blazers around the 3/4 mark of the season finished with a 5-3 record and a 2.34 goals against average and a .945 save percentage while Ben Etsell was 9-10 with a .911 save percentage and a 3.60 Goals Against Average.
The series schedule shapes up like this:
Game 1 — Fri Mar 1 — at C.F.B. Shearwater — 7:30 p.m.
Game 2 — Sat Mar 2nd — at C.F.B. Shearwater — 7:30 p.m.
Game 3 — Mon Mar 4 — at Sackville — 7:30 p.m.
Game 4 — Yet to be determined
Game 5 — Fri Mar 8 — at C.F.B. Shearwater — 7:30 p.m.
Game 6 — Mon Mar 11 — at Sackville — 7:30 p.m.
Game 7 — Yet to be determined