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3 opening round series on the brink of being over

Deciding games in Three Best-of-Series could all be tonight (Saturday, March 5/22.)
 
Port Hawkesbury  5    Eskasoni Jr. Eagles  4
 
Gregor Yoell of the Port Hawkesbury Strait Pirates scored the game winner to give his team a 2-0 lead in their Best-of-Five Series going into tonight’s third game at the Dan K. Stevens Memorial Arena in Eskasoni starting at 7:30 p.m.  Yoell’s goal with 1:23 left in regulation was the Pirates 5th of the game and Yoell’s second of the game to give Port Hawkesbury a 5-4 win over the Eskasoni Jr. Eagles and a 2-0 lead in their series.  The win follows The Strait’s 6-4 win in the opener of the series earlier in the week.  The Strait Pirates held period leads of 1-0 before the Eagles tied it at 3-3 at the end of the second.  Other goal scorers for the winners were Cameron Gillis, Blake Hadley and Jayden Muise.  For the Jr. Eagles, Kinnon Williams, Thomas Simon, MacKenzie Erickson and Dante Basque on the power-play all recorded single markers.  Danny Gillis recorded three assist for the winners and the Strait outshot the Jr. Eagles 47-31.  The Dan K. Stevens Memorial Arena should be rocking tonight as the Eagles play in front of a home audience doing their utmost to prevent elimination and force a fourth game in this series Sunday night.  Game time once again in Eskasoni Saturday night is 7:30 p.m.
 
Liverpool   7     Valley Maple Leafs  4
 
Kayden Nickerson scored three times including a power-play marker while adding an assist as the Liverpool Privateers went up 2-0 in their Best-of-Five with the Valley Maple Leafs at the West Hants Community Sportsplex Friday night in Windsor.  The Privateers were not challenged in any great fashion as they took period leads of 3-1 and 6-2 and outshot the Leafs 52-34.  Nolan Greenlaw’s goal was the game winner for Liverpool with 12:32 to play in the second period.  Other Privateer goal scorers were John Shubaly, Dylan Patterson and Riley Hurlburt.  For the Leafs who have now been outscored 15-7 in the opening two playoff games, John Van Luxemborg, Hayden Richardson, Brent Levy and Griffin Radford all contributed single markers.  It is now back to Liverpool and Queens Place Emera Centre for Game 3 in this series with the Maple Leafs hoping that some how, some way, they can force a 4th game back in Windsor on Sunday March 6th.
 
East Hants  5   Brookfield Elks  2
 
The Penguins did not waste anytime in jumping out in front of the visiting Elks in Lantz Friday night.  Sean Freeman and Evan McHenry put the Pens ahead 2-0 before Nashon Thomas brought the Elks back to within a goal at the end of the first.  AJ Guildford scored a power-play game-winner for the Pens less than five minutes into the second to make it 3-1.  Marshall Plandowski scored as well in the second and it was 4-1 Pens after forty minutes.  Coady Jollymore brought the Elks back to within a pair in the third but Ethan Wheeler scored the Pens 5th goal to make the final 5-2 East Hants who outshot the Elks 52-35.  It is now about 30 kilometres up Highway 102 where the Elks will hope to avoid elimination against the Pens in a 7:00 p.m. start Saturday evening.
Mar 5, 2022
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Ley and Andrew McCarron - 4 pt nights

The Liverpool Privateers are going to Windsor Friday night in hopes of taking a 2-0 lead in their Best-of-Five Mini Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League Playoff Series with the Valley Maple Leafs.  At Queens Place Emera Centre in Liverpool Wednesday night, the Privateers jumped in front 4-0 after one period and led 5-2 after forty minutes, with the final score being 8-3 Liverpool.

 
Joe Osborne scored the game winning goal for the Privateers with just under 9 minutes left in the opening period.  Liverpool opened the game’s scoring with 3 goals before the first period was even five minutes old as Nolan Greenlaw with his first of two, Alec Howie’s power-play goal and Daniel Kline’s short-handed goal put the home team up 3-0.  Other Privateer goal scorers were Josh Nicholson and Miguel D’Eon with a pair in the third period and Greenlaw’s 2nd of the game with less than a minute to play.  Ben Fleckenstein, Kyle Slingerland and Ryan MacDonald tallied for the Leafs who were outshot 54-17 by the Privateers.  Griffin Radford chipped in with a pair of assists for the Leafs.  Game time in Windsor Friday is 7:30 p.m.  Elsewhere Wednesday night:
 
Membertou Jr. Miners  10     Cumberland County Blues   1
 
The Jr. Miners thrashed the Blues in their playoff opener with AJ Ley and Andrew McCarron both playing starring roles with 2 goals and 2 assists each.  Coby McCarron and Nathaniel Fuller also both notched pair for Membertou.  Single markers were recorded by Josh MacKay and Brandon Grant who actually recorded the game winner just 2:16 into the game.  The Jr. Miners held period leads of 1-0 and 8-1.  Blake Cox recorded 3 assists for the Jr. Miners while Will Harrison’s power-play goal was the only one of the night for Cumberland who were outshot 47-19 by the Jr. Miners.  Cumberland will now travel back to Springhill in hopes of being able to turn their game around as they prepare to host the Jr. Miners Saturday and Sunday.
 
East Hants  7     Brookfield Elks   0
 
Bruen Fisher, Evan McHenry and Marshall Plandowski all scored a goal and each added a pair of assists to pace the Penguins to a 7-0 shut-out win over the Elks in Lantz Wednesday evening.  The teams were scoreless after one period but Fisher, Ethan Wheeler and Brody Fraser all scored in the second period to put the Pens up 3-0 after forty minutes.  In the third period, McHenry, Riley MacDonnel, Nico Kane and Plandowski with a short-handed marker scored to make the final 7-0.  The Pens outshot the Elks 32-28.  Game 2 in this Best-of-Five Mini Series is slated for East Hants Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
Mar 3, 2022
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Pirates go up 1-0 in playoff opener

Game 2 back in Port Hawkesbury Friday

Port Hawkesbury Strait Pirates took a 1-0 lead in their Best-of-Five Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League playoff opener over the Eskasoni Jr. Eagles with a 6-4 win in the Strait Tuesday night.  Danny Gillis and Jack Neilsen both scored a pair while Gregor Yoell had one goal and 2 assists and Jayden Muise tallied for the winners. Owen Stockdale assisted on 3 for the Strait.  Thomas Simon scored a pair for the Jr. Eagles with singles being recorded by Nicholas Pastuck and Dante Basque.  Game 2 is Friday in the Strait at 7:30 p.m.  Port Hawkesbury outshot Eskasoni 42-33.

3 other playoff openers are scheduled for tonight with the Valley Maple Leafs travelling to Liverpool, the Brookfield Elks going to East Hants and the Cumberland County Blues visiting Membertou.

Mar 2, 2022
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Blues Governor honored at Caps Face-off

At the age of 71 and with decades of hockey success behind him, Bill Riley’s number-one passion in life remains unchanged.

“I love hockey to death and there’s no game like it in the world," said Riley.

Together they made hockey history.

“We were the first two to ever play in the National Hockey League, to play on the same team and at times on the same line,” said Riley, who was also the first Black Nova Scotian to reach the NHL.

Counting his final season with the Winnipeg Jets, Riley played 139 career NHL games along with 391 games in the American Hockey League.

“I played power play and I was out there in the last minute in a period and in the last-minute of games,” said Riley.

The Capitals flew Riley back to Washington this past weekend to celebrate Black History Month, his first visit back to his former hockey home in more than three decades.

Riley’s granddaughter Kryshanda Green made the trip with him. She is an elite hockey player in her own right and the first-ever Black captain of the Ryerson Rams women’s hockey team.

Mar 1, 2022
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Cox stars for Jr. Miners -Blazers await next opponent

Cox 7 point night for Jr. Miners — TJ Norris 3 goals for Blazers

 
The Eskasoni Jr. Eagles obviously love the game of hockey as they will enter their Best-of-Five Mini Playoff Series with the Port Hawkesbury Strait Pirates Tuesday evening in the Strait at 7:30, after being hammered by the Membertou Jr. Miners 11-1 Monday night in their final regular season game of 21-22.  The Jr. Eagles finished 21-22 with a 6-15-0 record while the Jr. Miners went 11-5-3.  Blake Cox had an awesome night for the Jr. Miners finishing with 4 goals and 3 assists for seven points.  The Jr. Miners led 9-0 before the Eagles scored their first and only of the game off the stock of Dante Basque.  Other Membertou goal scorers were Coby McCarron with a pair including the game winner while also collecting 4 assists, Camden Langlois with a pair and singles to Andrew McCarron, Brady MacLean and Josh MacKay.  The Jr. Miners held a 52-19 advantage in shots.
 
Sackville  7    Brookfield  1
 
The Blazers finished their 21-22 season with a 7-1 verdict over the Brookfield Elks as TJ Norris connected for a hat-trick to pace the winners.  Other Blazer goal scorers were Daniel Surrette, Brian Grandy, Tyler Pottier and Samuel Gallant who also chipped in with a pair of assists.  Sam Rogers scored the lone goal for the 2-15-1 Elks who open a Best-of-Five Playoff series with East Hants Wednesday night in Lantz.  Sackville outshot the Elks 51-40.  Despite going 14-7-1, the Blazers had to settle for 2nd place in the Fred Fox Division due to the Capstone Colts 12-5-0 finish to the season including a 9 game winning streak.  The Standings are based on a winning percentage due to the 2 month break because of Omnicron.  The Blazers and Colts are now awaiting the winners of the Best-of-Five series to see who they will play in the best-of-Seven Divisional Semi-Finals.
Mar 1, 2022
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Antigonish finishes 21-0-1

Bulldogs finish regular season without losing in regulation

 
Anyone who has ever played the game can remember dramatic moments in this great game of hockey, too many to mention but examples such as Team Canada’s 5-0 lead over the Russians which they blew in the third period of the 2010 World Jr. Men’s Hockey Championship in Buffalo, New York is one, the classic East Hants-Liverpool series which saw numerous overtimes in the opening round of the 2019-2020 opening round of our League Playoffs before Covid hit is another.
 
Another dramatic moment came Sunday evening in Antigonish where the Jr. Bulldogs were trying to become the first team in an eternity not to lose a regular season game in regulation.  They entered the contest against the Cumberland County Blues with a record of 20-0-1, fell behind 4-1 with slightly more than 6 minutes to play in the opening period, tied it at 4-4 by the end of the second period before Burke Beed put the Blues in front once again 5-4 with just over 6 minutes having been played in the third period. Fans in attendance at the Antigonish Arena were hanging on tight as with 59.23 having been played, the Blues were still up 5-4 but with 36 seconds remaining in regulation Sam Mattie scored his 21st goal of the season to tie the game at 5-5.  The game went to overtime and with 1:21 remaining in the five minute sudden-death period, Jake MacDonald scored for the Jr. Bulldogs to give them a 6-5 win and enabled his club to finish the regular season at 21-0-1.  Their only loss all season came in overtime to arch-rival the Pictou County Scotians 3-2.  The Scotians and Jr. Bulldogs have first round byes and advance to the Best-of-Seven Divisional Semi-Finals.
 
Other Bulldog Goal Scorers Sunday were Will Fitzsimmons with a pair, Connor Doherty and Craig Landry.  For the Blues who finished 5-13-2 on the season, Been also scored the Blues first goal of the game with single markers going to Ezekiel Cormier, Jayden Matheson and a short-handed marker by Aidan Fisher.  The Jr. Bulldogs outshot the Blues 41-24.  The Blues now advance to a Best-of-Five Mini Series against the Membertou Jr. Miners.  Elsewhere Sunday:
 
Pictou  3   Membertou  2    (Shoot-Out)
 
The Pictou County Scotians recorded their 11th win in 16 games to close the season with a 3-2 shoot-out win over the Membertou Jr. Miners in Trenton.  It was quite a shoot-out as 8 shots were required and on the 8th shot, Matt Carson connected to make the final 3-2 Pictou.  The game almost didn’t go to overtime as the Jr. Miners were up 2-1 with 34 seconds to play when Matt Chediac scored to tie the game 2-2.  The game was tied 1-1 until the Jr. Miners Andrew McCarron put Membertou up 2-1 with only 2:31 left in regulation.  Blake Cox gave the Jr. Miners a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal less than two minutes i to the opening period before Cal Marner tied it for the Scotians with 11 minutes to play in the second.  Membertou outshot the Scotians 42-37. The Jr. Miners will now play the Blues in a Best-of-Five Mini Series.
 
Port Hawkesbury  4   Eskasoni   3
 
These same two clubs will open their Best-of-Five Mini Series in the Strait Tuesday night beginning at 7:30 but they concluded their regular season with the Pirates defeating the Jr. Eagles 4-3 at the Dan K. Stevens Memorial Arena in Eskasoni Sunday night.  Gregor Yoell and Jayden Muise scored for the Pirates in the opening period while Curtis Novak scored the first of his two in the game to give the Pirates a 2-1 advantage after one.  Jack Neilsen made 3-1 the Strait in the final minute of the second period.  The Jr. Eagles Nicholas Pastuck brought his club back to within a goal mid-way through the third.  Luke Hadley notched the game winner for the Strait with less than three minutes remaining in regulation before Novak made it a one-goal final with just 23 seconds left in regulation.  The Strait Pirates outshot the Jr. Eagles 42-27.  It was the third game of the regular season between the two clubs with the Strait winning previously 8-5 and 4-3 and the Jr. Eagles winning 4-1 meaning the Strait outscored Eskasoni 13-12 in their three regular-season games.
Feb 28, 2022
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