Mariners deep-sixed
Bearcats now face Crushers or Ramblers
There was a collective sigh of relief from the majority of 1,800plus fans at the RECC Saturday night, when patient, precise passing sent Truro Bearcats captain Kyle Tibbo in alone for an easy empty-net goal that sealed a 5-3 win against the Yarmouth Mariners.
As with the others, the fifth game of the Maritime Junior Hockey League semifinal playoff was a hard fought affair.
“It’s a fine line between winning and losing in the playoffs,” said Coach Shawn Evans, emphasizing how close competition was. “I believe every game went to where the goalie was pulled at the end of every game.”
The Bearcats move on, taking the series 4-1, and now wait for a winner from the other Eastlink South Division semifinal. Top-seeded Pictou County Weeks Crushers forced a seventh and deciding game when they downed the Amherst Ramblers 3-2 in overtime Saturday. The Ramblers, fourth seed in the division, have given the Crushers all they can handle. Pictou hosts the rubber match Wednesday at 7 p.m.
If Evans has a preference as to which team the Bearcats suit up against next, he’s not admitting to it. Nor is he surprised by Amherst’s success – as far as he’s concerned, the terms underdog and favourite aren’t part of the discussion.
“There were four quality teams that made the playoffs in our division,” he said. “Pick your poison.”
Bearcats 5 Mariners 3 (Truro wins best-of-seven division semifinal 4-1) Nate Leger’s first goal of the playoffs put the Bearcats up in the opening frame but Ryan Daley responded for Yarmouth
late in the period to make it 1-1.
Things heated up in the second as the Mariners poured on the pressure but Zach Moody’s power play goal at 5:04 made it 2-1 Truro.
Just 55 seconds later, Mateo Short redirected a shot past Truro netminder Jason Rioux to deadlock the teams at two.
But Truro refused to allow the Mariners to use it as a momentum builder. It took just 40 seconds for Truro to regain the lead as G Blackmore blasted a high shot past Leif Hertz.
“There is going to be moments in the game when it doesn’t go your way,” Evans said. “And when that happens, you need your next five-man unit to go out on the ice and have a good shift and get things going back
in the right direction.”
Tibbo scored the eventual winner on an unassisted effort at 9:47.
The Bearcats lead was cut to 4-3 midway through the third when Short scored his second.
Yarmouth continued to press and with about 1:40 remaining in regulation time, a hard shot from the point rang off the Truro goalpost.
With Hertz on the bench, Brandon Hughes and Nic Blanchard worked a perfect tic-tactoe passing play to send Tibbo in untouched for the insurance marker, with 20 seconds left. Hughes finished with three helpers on the night.
Rioux was on his game and kicked out 24 of 27 shots. Hertz faced 30 Truro shots.
Saturday’s announced attendance was 1,845 and Bearcats coach Shawn Evans noted there’s been an upswing in support, particularly since the new year, something much appreciated by the players and organization.
Both Eastlink North Division semifinals have been decided. The Miramichi Timberwolves swept St. Stephen Aces in four games and the Summerside Western Capitals downed Dieppe Commandos in six games.