Playoff preview

Playoff series opens Thursday in Yarmouth, back at RECC Saturday

The Yarmouth Mariners and Truro Bearcats met Saturday in the nal regular season game for both, prior to facing each other in the opening round of MHL playo s.

The Truro Bearcats wrapped up their regular season on the weekend with a split in a pair of home games as the Maritime Hockey League wrapped up the regular schedule.

Friday at the Rath-eastlink Community Centre, the Bearcats were doubled 4-2 by the Amherst Ramblers and Saturday, they took a 3-1 decision against the Yarmouth Mariners, the team they’ll face in the first round of the playoffs.

The Bearcats ( 28- 20- 1- 1), finished fourth in the league’s Eastlink South Division with 58 points, and open their best-ofseven divisional semifinal Thursday in Yarmouth against the Mariners (35-14-1-0) who topped the division with 71 points. Game 2 is in Truro Saturday night at 7 p.m.

The other divisional semifinal pits the second-place South Shore Lumberjacks (31-15-2-2) against the third-place Ramblers (27-116-6).

In the northern loop, Edmundston Blizzard faces Miramichi Timberwolves and Summerside Western Capitals will take on Campbellton Tigers.

Ramblers 4

Bearcats 2

Friday at the RECC, three unanswered goals in the third period proved the difference, as the Bearcats led 1-0 after the opening frame and 2-1 after the second.

Jack Mcgovern scored Truro’s first-period goal on the power play, assisted by Dylan Burton and Campbell Pickard.

After Jordan King scored in the second for Amherst, Curtis Heffernan put the Bearcats ahead again, scoring in the final minute of the period from Alex Macdonald.

Goals by Brady Griffin- Hefford and Layton Parsons and an empty-netter by Liam Conrad, rounded out the 4-2 final in the Ramblers’ favour.

The Bearcats were outshot 33-30 in the contest.

Mariners 1

Bearcats 3

The Mariners opened the scoring Saturday when Brendan Young scooped up the puck at the blueline and went in alone on Truro netminder Alec MacDonald, picking the top shelf to give Yarmouth a 1-0 first-period lead.

The Bearcats replied late in the second when Ryan Porter scored from Luke Macmillan tying it at one.

Cameron Macleod scored what proved to be the winner at 12:07 of the third, from Graham Rutledge and Elliott Mcguire iced it with an empty-netter to round out the 3-1 final, with 22 seconds remaining.

Macdonald turned aside 18 of 19 shots he faced for the win, while the Bearcats had 17 shots on the Yarmouth net.

TRURO DAILY NEWS PHOTO The traffic was heavy in front of the Truro net during MHL action Saturday at the RECC where the Bearcats defeated the visiting Yarmouth Mariners 3-1. Jagger Statton of the Bearcats is attempting to clear the puck in front of netminder Alec Macdonald...