GrayJay Sports
League News
Bulldogs lose their first road game of the season
The Antigonish Jr. Bulldogs were defeated for a third time this season on the road, their first loss of the season on the road with their other two losses coming on home ice. Meanwhile, the Valley Maple Leafs have moved into fourth gear as they won their fifth game in seven starts in Windsor Sunday evening while the Port Hawkesbury Strait Pirates won their 6th of the season, hanging on after taking a 3-0 lead. The following are details of games from around the League Sunday evening:
Pictou County Scotians 6 Antigonish Jr. Bulldogs 4
The Jr. Bulldogs may have had a 36-29 shots advantage for the game but it wasn’t enough as the Scotians erupted for four second period goals and skated away with a 6-4 win to improve their record to 7-4-3 for 17 points. The Bulldogs meanwhile are now 13-3-0 for 26 points and still have a healthy first place lead over the Scotians.
In Sunday’s opening period, Lane Lochead opened the game’s scoring to put the Scotians up 1-0 before the game was 1:20 old. Lochead would go on and contribute an additional 3 assists on the five additional Scotian goals. However, just 1:11 later the Bulldogs Ethan Twolan tied the contest at 1-1 and the teams went to their dressing room after one period locked in a 1-1 tie. It was the second period when the Scotians began to show their moxie as they roared out of the gates scoring four f the opening five goals in the second period. Matt Carson scored two of them for Pictou while adding a pair of assists with Cale MacLaughlin and Nate Supryka adding singles. The Scotians led 3-1 and then 5-2. Max Baldwin and Owen Forsythe both scored for the Jr. Bulldogs to make the score 5-3 after forty minutes.
In the third, Ethan Twolan scored his second of the game to go along with an assist just 1:23 into the third to make the score 5-4 Scotians but that was all Antigonish could put on the board as Wyatt Spence put one into an empty net to ice the 6-4 win for the Scotians. Brandon Connors stopped 32 of 36 shots for the Scotians to earn the win in nets.
Valley Maple Leafs 5 Capstone Colts 3
The Valley Maple Leafs started the season 0-7-0 but Goaltender Graydon Mole said after last night’s game, “the players are feeling 100% comfortable now, have gotten to know everyone and really enjoy competing.” This much is obvious as the Leafs won for the 6th time in their past eight games, 5-3 over the Capstone Colts, improving their record to 5-9-0. The Leafs went up 1-0 as the first period approached the mid-way mark when Braedy MacKenzie tipped in a shot from the point. With 17 seconds left in the opening frame, Mole made two incredible saves but a second rebound with Xavier Coggins standing to the immediate left of Mole was able to put the puck in and tie the game 1-1 after twenty minutes.
In the second Liam Andrews scored his 11th of the season for the Colts on a quick wrist shot from 10 feet out in front of Mole. The Leafs refused to say die like they have in so many recent games and Nick Goodwin came back to score a pair, one on a wrist shot and another on a superlative pass from Ryan Cole as the Leafs took a 3-2 lead after two periods. The Leafs were outshot 29-12 in the opening frame and it took some fine goaltending from Mole to keep the Leafs tied 1-1 after the first. It was a far improved team in the second with the Leafs outshooting the Colts 18-12.
The third period began when the Leafs Ryan Coyle’s wrist shot got by Conar Brace’s right shoulder and the Leafs led 5-2. The Colts were not finished however as Matthew Jessome streaked down the Leafs right side and took a shot from the right face-off circle that eluded Mole with 6:14 to play. The Leafs played heads up defence and even when the Colts pulled their goalie for the game’s final 2:19, they were unable to score. The Colts held a commanding 56-36 shots advantage but with Mole in nets, the Leafs kept their heads up making it difficult for the Colts to thread the needle and when they did, the Leafs quickly bounced back. The Leafs will be back in action Friday, Nov 22nd at 7:30 in Windsor against the Eskasoni Jr. Eagles.
Port Hawkesbury 3 Eskasoni 2
The Strait Pirates struck early and took a 3-0 lead 14 seconds into the second period but despite the fact the Pirates would not score anymore, the Jr. Eagles could only get two of those goals back and lost 3-2 to the Strait. Noah Harrison and a short-handed effort from Jesse Gillis gave the Strait a 2-0 lead after the first period. Keir Jordan made it 3-0 when he scored early in the second. The Jr. Eagles finally got on the score board nearly 16 minutes into the second as Jacob Wolodka tallied to make it 3-1 after forty minutes. The Eagles tried as they outshot the Pirates 38-36 but the only goal they could score was one by Keagen Geizer 5:48 into the third. Manny Strong played another solid game in the Pirate nets stopping 36 of 38 shots while Darian Mcinnes stopped 33 of 36 shots for the Jr. Eagles.