PORT HAWKESBURY: At 7:28 of the third period, Troy Hillier pulled the trigger to lift the Strait Pirates to a Friday night win that, all things considered, might be the biggest win of the Pirates’ season.
“It was a solid effort from everybody, just like we needed,” said coach David Marston, following the 6-3 win over the Antigonish Bulldogs. “We got scoring from three different lines, we only allowed three goals, and everyone was committed to defence. It was our best effort of the year.”
The Pirates and Bulldogs – along with two of the other five teams in the Sid Rowe division – are locked in an end-of-the-season scramble to decide how the final standings will be fleshed out. Only five points separate second place from fifth place, so it’s anyone’s guess how the teams will be positioned going into playoffs.
It’s also anyone’s guess which team will be eliminated.
“We were happy to get that win, and Antigonish beating Cumberland [last Sunday] closed the gap on how they can get in the playoffs, but there’s still an opportunity there.
“Our goal is to win every game, but so long as we get to overtime and get points in every game, that’s important,” Marston said. “No one knows how things will be on Sunday when the season ends.
“We had a hard year for a lot of reasons, but when you get down to wins and losses, we had the second most wins in our division, and that’s a good situation if we end up tied with anybody.”
Last Friday’s Pirate win started with the Bulldogs in the driver’s seat, as Keith Leadbeater (from Brian MacDougall and Tyler VanOirschot) put Antigonish in the driver’s seat with 6:59 played in the first. Pirate Jaron Bollivar (from Taylor Pierce and Randon MacKinnon) replied just two minutes later, but Bulldog Taylor Leger (from Connor Fraser and Kieran Devine) restored the Bulldog lead three minutes before intermission.
The Leger goal was one that Matthew Stymest, Pirate goalie, would probably have loved to have another crack at, as the puck was initially stopped but trickled past the goalline.
Other than that goal, Stymest ended up putting together a very solid three periods, as he faced 45 shots and stopped 42, coming up big with the trapper midway through the second frame.
Jesse Gillis was backstopping the Bulldogs, and was also pretty busy with 32 shots sent his way. He allowed five, as one goal was an empty netter.
In the second period, Taylor Pierce (from Bollivar and MacKinnon) tied the game at 2-2. This time, it was Gillis who allowed a trickling puck to get the better of him.
The third period saw the Pirates connect for four goals. In addition to Hillier’s game winner (set-up by Joseph MacDonnell and Nathan Hayes), Pirate goals came from Braden Murray (from Hillier and Floyd MacDonald), Bollivar (from Pierce and MacKinnon), and Hillier (from Mitch Warner and Floyd MacDonald).
Giordano Saputo (from Fraser and Leger) had a power play goal on the Bulldogs’ behalf.
This Friday, in what could end up serving as the deciding game for the Pirates’ playoff aspirations, the Strait will host the league-leading Glace Bay Miners at 7:30 p.m. The two teams met last Monday night, with the Miners winning 7-2.