Crushers looking for wins
Club has two games this week against South Shore
Time is running out for the Junior A Crushers.
The Maritime Junior Hockey League club, trying to keep the Truro Bearcats in their sights, will play the South Shore Lumberjacks twice this week: Thursday at the Pictou County Wellness Centre (7 p.m.) and the next night in Lunenburg County.
The Crushers lost 2-0 in Truro last Friday, then fell further behind when the Bearcats blasted the Campbellton Tigers 9-1 on Saturday.
The Crushers suddenly find themselves eight points behind Truro in the MHL South Division standings, and need to go on a roll if they realistically hope to grab the final playoff spot.
“We’re cognizant of the (number of) games remaining and the gap,” between Pictou County and the Bearcats,” said coach Doug Doull. “My thoughts are the same as last week: what’s in front of us is what we have to take on.”
The Crushers will likely be without Jake Stewart, who has been called up by the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats. Not only that, defenceman Giancarlo Fiori is probably out for a few games with an upper body injury, captain Michael Dill is dealing with a lowerbody injury and Evan MacLennan has been battling through injury, as well – tough to do for a player whose calling card is to play with a tenacious physicality.
“It’s not an excuse, but this has been one of those years where everything bad that could happen, has happened,” Doull said.
“But, I think the morale is good.”
Pictou County has 11 games left in the regular season, one more than Truro. The teams play each other twice — both at the PCWC — and while those games will be virtual must-haves for Pictou County, the Lumberjacks are all they can worry about right now.
“You play for these times – you play through the adversity,” Doull said.
“It’s like, today is a new day and we get back at ’er again.”
The Lumberjacks, who have won four straight games after a four-game losing skid in January, are fairly comfortable in second spot in the South, five points behind the Yarmouth Mariners and five ahead of the Amherst Ramblers.