Seventh heaven for Weeks Major Midgets
Bible Hill’s Hart scores overtime winner in Game 7
Maybe there is something to the ‘team of destiny’ thing.
Six minutes into sudden death overtime on Wednesday night in front of a raucous crowd at Cole Harbour Place, Gavin Hart was in the Cole Harbour Wolfpack zone when an errant puck went right to him.
He saw an opening on the short side, fired away and the Pictou County bench exploded.
“To score that goal was just an unbelievable feeling. I was speechless,” said the Weeks Major Midgets centre.
“That’s the word I have for it:
speechless.”
His goal not only sent his team to the next round of the playoffs, it capped a comeback that defied realistic expectations and the law of averages: on Sunday morning, Pictou County woke up trailing 3-0 in the series, facing the prospect of needing to win four games in as many days, or their season would be over.
After their dramatic 3-2 on Wednesday in Cole Harbour, they’re moving on to the next round and the Cape Breton West Islanders.
“It wasn’t looking too great,” after Game 3, Hart admitted, “but I know our guys had a lot of belief.”
Millbrook’s G Blackmore scored two power play goals in regulation for Weeks – one of which tied the game midway through the third period – as Weeks walked the overtime tightrope for the second straight game and lived to tell about it. Blackmore had eight goals and six assists in the series.
The Wolfpack had Pictou County somewhat on its heels in the OT session, seizing the momentum to create some good scoring chances.
In a split second, Hart reversed the momentum in a huge, playoff-changing way.
“It was an exciting moment to score a goal like that,” said the Bible Hill resident.
Weeks will start their semifinal series against Cape Breton West with games Saturday and Sunday in Port Hood.
The other semifinal series pits the Halifax McDonalds against Dartmouth Steele Subaru.
The Nova Scotia league winner heads to Miramichi, N.B., for the Atlantic championship March 30-April 2.