GrayJay Sports
League News
Pens-Antg to play for NS Champship
It will be the AA Munro Antigonish Jr. Bulldogs and the East Hants Penguins playing for the 2021-2022 Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League Championship after both teams secured their divisional finals in six games Saturday night.
Antigonish 6 Membertou Jr. Miners 3
Coming off a 7-2 loss in Game 4 of this series, the Jr. Bulldogs knew they had to somehow shut-down the high flying combo of Blake Cox, Andrew McCarron and Coby McCarron of the Jr. Miners as the 3 players had burned them for a total of 21 points in Games 3 and 4. This writer is not exactly sure what magical potion was developed by the Jr. Bulldogs in their strategy meetings prior to games 5 and 6 but whatever it was, it was highly effective as the three players after recording 21 points in Games 3 and 4, were held to one assist, that being an assist by Andrew McCarron in Saturday’s loss. The Bulldogs showed no mercy in Saturday’s game at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre as they staked themselves to a 4-0 first period lead and never looked back. Fearghus MacDonald’s goal with 2:21 left in the opening frame was on the power-play and also the game winner. Other Bulldogs goals in the first went to Jake MacDonald who finished with a five point night as he also collected 4 assists to go along with his goal. Sam Mattie scored the first of his 3 on the evening to go along with an assist while the other goal went to Tyler Boyd. The final 2 goals by the Bulldogs belonged to Mattie, one each in the second and third periods. For the Jr. Miners, Brandon Grant and Ashton Paul tallied. Antigonish outshot the Jr. Miners 38-33 and advanced to their first Nova Scotia Junior Championship series since 2007-2008 when they lost a 7 game final to the Windsor Royals. Antigonish last won a Nova Scotia Junior Hockey Championship in 2005-2006 and last won the Don Johnson Memorial Cup in back-to back seasons of 1982-83 and 1983-84. The Bulldogs did go to a Don Johnson Memorial Cup for Atlantic Hockey Supremacy but this was in a year when the League Champs - the former St. Margaret’s Bay team were unable to go in 2010-2011. The Nova Scotia Championship series begins with two games this weekend, Friday night in Antigonish at 7:30 with game 2 back in Lantz Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.
East Hants 3 Capstone 2
At the Eastern Shore Community Centre Saturday night, the fourth place Penguins from the regular season advanced to the League Championship with a hard-fought 3-2 win over the Colts. The Colts took a 2-1 first period lead on goals from Griffin Peers and Brayden Hooper-Richard with only 47 seconds remaining in the opening frame. AJ Guildford tallied for East Hants. Devin Meagher then scored the game tying goal in the second and the game winner on a short-handed effort mid-way through the third to give the Pens a berth in the Championship series. The Colts outshot the Pens 31-22. East Hants last won a Nova Scotia Junior Championship in 2011-2012 but did appear in a Don Johnson Cup as Nova Scotia’s representative in 2017-2018 as the Jr. Miners played host to the Championship but also won it. East Hants last won a Provincial Championship and Don Johnson Cup in the same year in 2006-2007.
