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League News
Strait Pirates and Blazers eliminated
The Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League playoffs started with eight teams, following play Friday night, the League is down to six contenders for Provincial Junior Championship Honours. Depending on what happens Saturday and Sunday night, the number could even be reduced to four. Following is a recap of action Friday night.
Membertou Jr. Miners 2 Port Hawkesbury 1
The 23-24 season is now complete for the Strait Pirates who played two great games in their Best-of-Seven series with the Jr. Miners but an overtime loss in Game 2 and a 2-1 setback at home Friday night at the Civic Centre meant the Pirates were swept four straight by the Jr. Miners in their Rowe Divisional Semi-Final.
The Strait took a 1-0 lead after the opening period on a goal by Luke Baldwin but a pair of second period goals from the Jr. Miners Jarrett Hicks and Tyson LeFrense was all that was required as the Jr. Miners now await the winner of the Pictou-Antigonish series which the Bulldogs presently lead 3-0 with game 4 in Trenton Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. The Jr. Miners outshot the Strait 30-23.
Capstone Colts 5 Sackville 3
The Colts for the third time in this series won by a score of 5-3 while winning another game 5-0 as they handled the Blazers in five games, winning the series in Shearwater Friday night after losing Game 4 in Sackville Wednesday night 2-0.
Friday’s game was tight until the bitter end as after Matt Jessome put the Colts up 3-1, 26 seconds into the third period, Adam Maillet and Lawson Cook brought the Blazers back with a pair of goals to tie the game at 3-3. It stayed that way until there was only 1:11 remaining in regulation when Liam Andrews scored his 5th goal of the series to put the Colts back up by 1. Sackville pulled goalie Conor Blackwood with 30 seconds to play but instead of tying, Conor Stewart of the Colts put one into an empty Blazers net with 18 seconds remaining to eliminate Sackville in five games. The Colts outscored the Blazers 20-11 in the opening round playoff win. Ben Fraser collected three assists for the Colts in their win and finished with 6 total in the five games. The other Sackville goal was scored by Degen Noble who finished the series with four goals in five games and a total of seven points. Other Colt goal scorers were Trainer McCulloch and Nick Morin. The Blazers did outshoot the Colts 34-25.
South Shore 6 East Hants 3
It is back to Bridgewater for game 5 Saturday night after the Lumberjacks foiled the Penguins at their home in Lantz Friday night, winning their first game of the series by a score of 6-3. The Pens now lead the Best-of-Seven 3-1 going into Saturday night’s game. The Lumberjacks broke the game wide open with four unanswered goals in the second period to take a 5-1 lead after forty minutes. Nolan Greenlaw, Owen Cleary, Liam Sylvester and Alec Howie’s second of the game was the scoring in the second. Things turned somewhat testy after Sylvester’s goal with 4:05 to play in the middle period, as a result 62 of the game’s 90 minutes in penalties were assessed with Sylvester garnering 25 of the 62. In total one minor, 2 major, 2 misconduct and 3 game misconduct penalties were called at this period of the game. Howie scored his first of the game in the opening period while Devin Meagher tallied for the Penguins. In the third Nick Veinot’s short-handed goal and Noah Comeau’s power-play effort brought the Pens back to within a pair before Howie scored his third of the night with the Pens net empty and 1:36 to play. Game time in Bridgewater Saturday is 7:00 p.m. and if the Lumberjacks win again, it will be back to Lantz for Game 6 Monday night at 8:30 p.m.