ANTIGONISH: The Antigonish AA Munro Junior Bulldogs will be playing for the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League title for the second consecutive year.
Ben MacLellan’s goal with 5:26 left in overtime lifted the Bulldogs to a 3-2 win and 4-0 series win over the Eskasoni Junior Eagles in the Sid Rowe Division final on Sunday night. Will Mierau and Darren Waterman scored the other Bulldog goals.
The overtime win maintains the Bulldog’s perfect 8-0 record in the playoffs after they swept the Strait Pirates in their series.
In Game 1 at the Antigonish Arena on March 19, the Bulldogs won going away 8-1 by getting out to a 4-0 lead in the second period, then scoring four more times in the third.
Cody MacEachern made 25 saves for the win in net, while Zachary Stewart, Will Fitzsimmons, Bradley Armstrong, Kyler Lohnes, Zachary Lorette, Jack Hayne, and Waterman each had two points.
The second game of the series in Eskasoni was a different story as Antigonish squeaked out a 7-5 win despite being outshot 36-31.
The Eagles got off to a good start, holding a 2-1 lead after the first period, only to have the Bulldogs storm back with four goals in the second frame and another two goals in the third.
Captain Sam Grant led the way with two goals and an assist for Antigonish, while Fitzsimmons, Mierau, Lohnes, and Ethan Twolan had two points apiece.
In Game 3 back in Antigonish, the Bulldogs blanked Eskasoni 8-0 with MacEachern making 28 saves for the shutout between the pipes.
Lorette and Waterman both had a three-point night, while Armstrong scored twice to give Antigonish a 3-0 series lead, paving the way for Sunday night’s series win.
The Bulldogs will now face the winner of the series between the Capstone Colts and Liverpool Privateers which is currently tied 2-2.