Oxen-Strait both advance.....Scotians cough up 3-0 lead to lose | NSJHL

Oxen-Strait both advance.....Scotians cough up 3-0 lead to lose

Posted on March 1, 2026 (Updated March 2, 2026)

By Dan Boyd

Oxen-Strait both advance.....Scotians cough up 3-0 lead to lose

It was absolutely classic, spine-tingling, heart-stopping hockey on all three playoff fronts in the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League Saturday night with all three games going into overtime.

Windsor 3 Sackville 2

After playing overtime in Sackville Friday night and the Blazers forcing a fifth and deciding game in Windsor Saturday night, this game was one for the ages. Before a near sell-out audience in excess of 650 people in Windsor at the John Paris Jr. Rink, the Oxen trailed the Blazers 1-0 with two minutes to play in regulation. Then somehow in the final two minutes, the teams exchanged three goals before the Oxen won it in double overtime on Dylan Manning’s second goal of the game. His first coming with 33 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 2-2.

The teams played two scoreless periods before the Oxen’s Jake Kuryluk took a cross-checking penalty with 10:15 to play. With 32 seconds left on the Sackville power-play Will Meek picked up a rebound and pounded it home to put Sackville up 1-0. Then came the game’s final two minutes. The Blazers Jonah Rivard had been sent off hooking with 2:44 remaining in regulation and 44 seconds later with the Oxen rushing the net, Matthew Shields picked up a loose puck and tied the game at 1-1. However, a mere 20 seconds later, Oxen Head Coach Jamie Leighton had to be breathing fire behind the Oxen bench as Windsor gave the puck away behind their net allowing Ryland Skerry to pounce on it and put Sackville up 2-1. The Oxen were not finished as with 33 seconds left, there was a huge scramble all around the Sackville net and it seemed no player really knew where the puck was before it went from the stick of Manning to a deflection off of a Sackville player and the game was tied 2-2.

In the first overtime, the teams battled to a scoreless draw as they did in the opening two periods of regulation with the two highlights being Oxen defensemen Noah Befekadu hitting the Blazers Adam Maillet with a ferocious check in front of the Windsor net and then Befekadu just missing from the point when his shot from the point hit the netting outside to the right side of the Sackville net. Willson Davison had the best scoring chance for any team in the first overtime as he came in close but could not connect. Earlier in the second period, Kayden Kuryluk nailed Dylan Probert into the boards at the centre ice mark.

In the second before Manning’s overtime winner, Aiden Tucker of the Blazers was in so close but somehow could not get a shot off. Manning’s overtime winner came on another crazy scramble in front of the Sackville net.

The Oxen were called twice for too many men on the ice but their penalty-killing was effective for a good portion of the game. In the first period, the Oxen’s Fowler, Tucker and Manning missed with out a doubt the best scoring chance of the opening period. The Oxen certainly picked up the pace in the final five minutes of the opening period outshooting the Blazers 14-8.

In the second, the Blazers began applying more pressure but Mole stood strong. With eight minutes to play in the second and the Blazers all over the Windsor net, the Oxen finally cleared it only to see the Blazers Laplante come back and force Mole to make a nice save on a hard wrist shot as Laplante was all alone.

Windsor outshot Sackville 50-34 on the game. The Oxen will prepare this week for their opening two games against the Capstone Colts in the Fred Fox Divisional Semi-Final.

Port Hawkesbury 4 Jr. Miners 3 (0vertime)

Craig Saulnier’s goal in the first overtime gave the Port Hawkesbury Strait Pirates their series win over the Jr. Miners at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre. The teams exchanged six goals between them scoring one each apiece in the opening three periods before Saulnier’s winner. Saulnier also added a pair of assists.

Strait Pirates Head Coach Stan MacNeil said after the game, “we never felt there was a time when we actually got down in the series despite the Jr. Miners taking us to the limit.” He added, “there were obviously momentum shifts we had to address but we never lost a bit of confidence.” He discussed two rookies who truly made a difference in the series win Carson MacEachern and Craig Saulnier who showed a great deal of maturity. He said, “they understood the game and performed very well.” MacNeil also said “Jr. Miners goalie Lucas Fraser played incredible goal and kept the Jr. Miners in the series on more than one occasion.

Besides Saulnier’s OT winner, Jesse Daalder, Cohen Preyer and Cohan Hickey also scored for the Strait while Brady Matheson, Garrett MacIntosh and Landon Clark replied for the Jr. Miners. It was Clark’s power-play goal that tied the game in regulation at 3-3 with 4:35 to play. Clark also assisted on the first two Jr. Miner goals. The Jr. Miners Fraser stopped 49 of 53 shots and Liam McGilip turned away 44 of 47 shots for the Strait.

The Strait will now play the Antigonish Jr. Bulldogs in one of two Sid Rowe Best-of-Seven Divisional Semi-Finals. MacNeil said what more can you say about the Jr. Bulldogs as they are three-time Atlantic-Maritime Champions, are a well oiled machine and have an excellent system of building teams from within.” He noted we have had some close games with the Bulldogs this season but will need considerably more if we anticipate on upsetting Antigonish in the pending series.

Eskasoni 4 Pictou 3 (Overtime)

The Pictou County Scotians coughed up a 3-0 lead and lost to the Eskasoni Jr. Eagles 4-3 in overtime in the opening game of the six Rowe Divisional Semi-Final last night in Eskasoni. Sam Maddison, Kyle Nearing put the Scotians up 1-0 after twenty minutes before Chris Jorden made it 3-0 Scotians in the second. The Jr. Eagles then began to mount there comeback on goals 1:15 apart from Kendrick Marshall and Keegan O’Neill. Marshall then scored his second of the game to tie the game in the third for Eskasoni and send the contest int overtime when Terrence Toney scored with 4:07 left in the initial 10-minute sudden-death overtime period. The overtime goal came only six seconds after the Scotians Jesse Cathcart left the penalty box. Marcellus Francis and Mitchell Gould both connected for a pair of assists for the winners while Lane Lochead and Wyatt Spence each contributed a pair of assists for the Scotians. Eskasoni outshot Pictou 39-28. Game 2 goes this evening in Trenton.

Oxen-Strait both advance.....Scotians cough up 3-0 lead to lose

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