’Cats ice Aces

Defending champs rebound for victory in home opener after Friday loss in Yarmouth

After a loss to begin their MHL season, the defending champion Bearcats bounced back with a strong effort in their homer opener.

The Truro Bearcats enjoyed a successful home opener in the Maritime Junior Hockey League Saturday.

Captain Campbell Pickard had a goal and an assist as the Bearcats defeated the St. Stephen Aces 5-3 in front of 780 fans at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre.

The win came after a seasonopening 3-1 loss to the Yarmouth Mariners on Friday.

In Saturday’s contest, Craig Ryan and Mark O’Shaughnessy, on a power-play, staked Truro to a 2-0 first-period lead.

Former Bearcat Johnny Foley scored for the Aces early in the second, before Pickard found the back of the net at 13:12. Adam Crowe, of the Aces, and Jack Keough, of the Bearcats, exchanged late goals in the middle frame and Truro led 4-2.

Dylan Burton put the game out of reach just 31 seconds into the third. Casey Fox had the other goal for the Aces.

Bearcats rookies Karter Renouf and Jack McGovern each had two assists.

Truro fired 36 shots at St. Stephen goaltender Jack Grant, while Kevin Resop made 18 saves for his first win as a Bearcat.

Prior to the game the Bearcats honoured Keith MacKenzie and Harold Barkhouse. Both men served 20 years with the club — MacKenzie as president and Barkhouse as statistician — before retiring from their positions this year.

There was also a pre-game ceremony honouring the Bearcats 2016-17 championship season, which included Nate Leger bringing the MHL Cup on to the ice at the Community Credit Union Arena.

Yarmouth 3 Truro 1 Brendan Young and Matt Smith scored first-period markers for the Mariners, who opened

with a win over their Eastlink South Division rivals in front of a packed house of 1,177 fans at the Mariners Centre.

After a scoreless second, Renouf got the Bearcats on the board just 17 seconds into the third, however, Logan Timmons restored the two-goal lead near the midway mark of the period for the final score.

Resop made 32 saves for the Bearcats, while his teammates fired 21 shots at counterpart Leif Hertz.

CoDy MCeaCherN/truro Daily NewS Ryan Porter of the Truro Bearcats handles the puck in the offensive zone and looks at his options during MHL action on Saturday. The Bearcats defeated the St. Stephen Aces 5-3 in their home opener.

CoDy MCeaCherN/truro Daily NewS Nate Leger, left, and Justin Doiron, members of the Truro Bearcats 2016-17 MHL championship team, brought the Cup on to the ice prior to the team’s home opener on Saturday.