PORT HAWKESBURY: Kent Denny, late in the second period of last Saturday afternoon’s Bantam AA game, connected to get his Pirates on the scoreboard, as he beat Glace Bay Miner Colton Boutilier.
Denny was set-up by teammates Logan Clannon and Charlie LeBlanc, and the goal was the only one the Pirates managed during the game. Buoyed by a four-goal first period, the Miners skated to a 7-1 win when visiting Strait-Richmond’s barn.
A Miner win was no great surprise, as Glace Bay is the number one squad in the Cape Breton league with a 12-1-2 record. This is a rebuilding year for the Pirates, who are playing with a number of first-year players. The Pirates are currently in last place.
“As a young group, they’re developing well,” said Pirate coach Christian Marchand. “It’s baby steps when you have a young team.”
Marchand noted that there are seven teams in the league, and some of them come from awfully large organizations. Staying competitive against such teams can be difficult, but the main goals right now are to have the kids play their position, work on skill development, and have some fun.
“The Miners are a strong team – a big team with lots of second year players,” Marchand said, noting the visitors won a tournament in PEI earlier in the season. “They’re a measuring stick for us, and this was one of our better games against them.”
Despite the score being a little lop-sided, Marchand noted that the Pirates put together some good hockey during the three frames. The second period, incidentally, saw scoring stalemated at 1-1.
With that, the Pirates had five players out of the lineup.
“We really just had two lines, and that didn’t help either,” he said.