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League News
Colts clinch first in Fox
Playoff positioning has all been secured as a result of play Friday night in the NSJHL. The following is a recap of some outstanding hockey which saw two of the four games decided in sudden-death overtime:
Antigonish 5 Port Hawkesbury 0
The Jr. Bulldogs after losing three of their past four, came out extra hungry Friday night in the Strait as they won their 26th game of the season in 32 starts 5-0 over the Strait Pirates. The loss for Port Hawkesbury ruined any chance they had of home ice in the opening round of the playoffs after the Jr. Miners rallied to defeat Eskasoni in overtime 4-3. The Jr. Bulldogs who will play the Pictou County Scotians in the opening round held period leads of 2-0 and 3-0 as they outshot the Strait 46-26. Adam Tkacz recorded his first shut-out of 2024 to go along with the three registered earlier this season in October and December to give him four on the season. Logan McGrath and Daniel Chiasson tallied markers 42 seconds apart mid-way through the first to put the defending Provincial and Atlantic Champions on their road to victory. Cameron Bell scored a second period goal before Will Fitzsimmons recorded a pair in the third to wrap-up the game’s scoring. There were only three minor penalties called the entire game. The Bulldogs and Pictou play the opening two games in their Sid Rowe Divisional Semi-Final beginning Friday March 1 in Antigonish at 7:30 before returning to Trenton Sunday March 3 for Game 2 at 6:00 p.m. Game 3 is Tuesday March 4 in Antigonish at 7:30 p.m.
Membertou Jr. Miners 4 Eskasoni Jr. Eagles 3 (Overtime)
The Jr. Miners clinched home ice advantage in their series with the Strait rallying from a two-goal deficit to see Alex Mackinnon net the overtime winner after 1:16 had been played in the five-minute sudden overtime period. Andrew Burke kept the Jr. Eagles alive throughout the contest stopping 51 of 55 shots while the Jr. Eagles could only muster 28 at the opposite end of the rink. Jacob Wolodka and James Jones power-play goal 1:38 apart put Eskasoni in front 2-0 in the opening period. Coby McCarron’s power-play goal sent the Jr. Miners to the dressing room down 2-1 after twenty minutes. Both teams failed to score in the second before Nathaniel Fuller tied the game at 2-2 in the third. Noah MacKinnon put Eskasoni back in front 3-2 before Alexander Chenhall knotted the game at 3-3 with 6:01 left in regulation. The Jr. Eagles have one game remaining in their regular season but will miss the playoffs after winning only 8 of their first 31 games.
East Hants Penguins 4 Capstone Colts 3 (Overtime)
The Capstone Colts clinched first place in the Fred Fox Division Friday evening at home despite losing 4-3 to the East Hants Penguins in overtime. The one point they earned in the overtime loss gave them 50 on the season, three ahead of the South Shore Lumberjacks with each team only having the game between them Saturday night in Bridgewater to complete their regular season. The Colts are now 24-5-2 on the season. The Penguins stumbled out of the gate in the worst way falling behind 3-0 after Ben Fraser and Benjamin Veinot scored first period goals for the Colts and Matt Jessome in the second. Brody Fraser brought the Pens to within 3-1 by the end of the second. In the third Davis Cooper and Noah Comeau scored to tie the game at 3-3 and send it into sudden-death when Jayson Hanson scored for East Hants to give them a 4-3 victory and their 22nd win of the season. The Pens outshot the Colts 40-26 and will conclude their season at home Monday evening against the Brookfield Elks.
Brookfield Elks 7 Valley Maple Leafs 5
Cale McClellan’s third goal of the game with 3:17 remaining in regulation proved to be the game winner as it gave the Elks a 6-4 lead after they had coughed up a 4-1 advantage earlier in the contest. McClellan also had an assist for a four point night. McClellan scored the game’s first goal before Connor Deluney playing his last Junior Game due to age, snapped a wrist shot from approximately 8 feet out tie the game at 1-1. Sam Rogers who finished the game with his 8th of the season then put the visitors up 2-1 with a shot into a wide-open net. Before the first period concluded, Daniel MacKenzie scored his 5th of the season by splitting the Leafs defence and putting a high wrist shot to Jayden Croft’s right-side. McClellan then put the Elks ahead 4-1 in the second before the Leafs rallied with a pair of goals in the final 3:47 on Terran Baillie’s wicked wrist shot to the left of the Elks net from 15 feet outside the left face-off circle. Kayden Kuryluk who finished the night with a goal and a pair of assists for the Leafs pulled the Leafs to within one on the power-play with 1:13 to play in the second on a high shot that went in just under the cross-bar. Owen McDermid with his 10th iff the season tied the game at 4-4 early in the third after he finished off a bang-bang play in front of the Elks net, scoring on the second rebound he was presented with. Then in a span of 1:20, the Elks came back with a pair as Keegan Macumber scored his 7th of the season with 6:23 to play before McClellan’s third goal of the game proved to be the winner giving the Elks a 6-4 lead. Braedy MacKenzie kept the fans in their seats as he pulled the Leafs to within a goal at 6-5 with 3:17 left but even after the Elks took a penalty with 3:02 left in regulation and Jayden Croft was pulled from the Leafs net with 1:48 to play, the Leafs failed to score and Calem McAndrew scored into an empty net with 10 seconds showing on the clock for a 7-5 Elks win. The Leafs concluded their season with the loss and finished in last place in the Fox Division with an 8-22-2 record while the Elks recorded their 9th win of the season and are now 9-18-3 going into their final two games of the season Saturday at home against Sackville and then Monday in East Hants. The Elks won the season series against the Leafs going 2-1-1 while the Leafs were 2-2-0. In the four games between the two teams, each tallied 16 goals.