Bantam A Red Crushers lose series in heartbreaking finish

The Pictou County Bantam A Red Crushers took their league championship final into the last seconds of the final game but were eliminated by the Brookfield Elks on Sunday afternoon in Brookfield.

After dropping Game 1 in Brookfield last Thursday, the series returned to the Pictou County Wellness Centre on Saturday where the Crushers battled back twice from one-goal deficits to tie the game 2-2 with less than three minutes to play. After a scoreless five-minute overtime, the game went to a shootout where the Crushers prevailed on goals by Nolan Mac Donald , Lucas Bernard and Caleb Clarke combined with outstanding saves by goaltender Xander Vohs.

The deciding game was played in Brookfield on Sunday afternoon and was every bit as exciting as a championship game should be with a fast pace, hard hitting and a bunch of penalties. Aiden Hahn gave the Crushers a 1-0 lead midway through the first period but Brookfield came back to tie just minutes later.

On a power play just 30 seconds into the third period Nolan MacDonald put the Crushers up 2-1, but again Brookfield answered just seconds later to tie it and shortly after to take the lead. With an empty net and just under a minute to play MacDonald lifted a backhand shot into the back of the net to tie the game 3-3.

The celebration was brief, however, and the Crushers hopes of sending the game into overtime were dashed with five seconds left on the clock as Brookfield scored the winner on the power play in a mad scramble in front of the Crushers’ net.