Crushers enjoy strong run at peewee AAA tournament

The Pictou County Peewee AAA Crushers had a strong showing at the Jordan Boyd Memorial Tournament held in Bedford Oct. 5 to 7.

The Crushers opened the tournament against the Halifax Hawks with a 4-2 win. Scoring for the Crushers were Keegan Dalton, Kaden Smith, Levon Walst and Cade Moser with assists coming from Walst, Dalton, Ben Marchand, Owen Conrad and Amis Crossman. Georgia Burrows was solid in nets for the Crushers.

In the second game of the tournament, the Crushers played a familiar foe in the Antigonish Bulldogs, losing 4-1 in a game that saw the Crushers outshoot the ’Dogs 41-22 but hot goaltending and hard play by Antigonish was the difference. Scoring the lone goal for the Crushers was Walst.

In the second game Saturday, the Crushers were ready to play and soundly defeated N.B. East Lightning 6-1. Scoring for the Crushers were Wyatt Spence, with a pair, with singles coming from Dalton, Moser, Smith and Clint MacLaughlin. Assists went to Walst, Smith, Crossman and Lane Sim.

Sunday’s final round-robin game had the Crushers facing the Cole Harbour Wings in a game that the Crushers needed a shootout win to move forward.

The team battled extremely hard, killing off two 5-on-3 disadvantages, but a penalty shot late in the second period was the only marker the Wings could get by the solid goaltending of Alex Palmer in a 3-1 Pictou County win. Scoring was Moser, MacLaughlin and Landon Steele. Assists from Smith (2), MacLaughlin, Spence, Sim and Moser.

The Crushers next see action when they start Mainland league play against the Antigonish Bulldogs in a home-and-home matchup Oct. 13 at the Pictou County Wellness Centre at 4 p.m. and Oct. 14 at the Antigonish Arena at 10:30 am.