Bearcats split pair of games in MHL action
Just five points separate second- to fifth-place teams in Eastlink South division
TRURO, N.S. – The Truro Bearcats settled for a split in a pair of Maritime Junior Hockey League games at the RECC last weekend.
Friday, after trailing 6-1 at one point, the Bearcats dropped a 7-4 decision to the Campbellton Tigers. Then Saturday, Truro regrouped for a 5-1 victory over the league’s cellardwellers, the Valley Wildcats.
The Bearcats remain in fifth place in the Eastlink South division with 33 points (1311-3-4), four behind both the South Shore Lumberjacks (1715-2-1) and Amherst Ramblers (18-15-1-0). Truro, however, has four games in hand on the Lumberjacks and three on the Ramblers. Just five points ahead of the Bearcats are the second-place Pictou County Weeks Crushers (18-12-2-0), while Yarmouth (22-11-2-1) is comfortably atop the division with 47 points.
TIGERS 7 BEARCATS 4
Friday, the Tigers led 3-1 after the opening frame and 6-1 after two.
Scoring for Truro were G Blackmore, Bryan Laureigh, Jack Mcgovern and Ben Higgins. Seven different scorers tallied for Campbellton, with Perry Coleton notching a goal and adding two assists.
Alec Macdonald took the loss in net for the Bearcats who outshot the Tigers 34-32.
BEARCATS 5 WILDCATS 1
This game was over in the first period as the Bearcats scored all five goals in the first 16 minutes.
Higgins led the attack with a pair of markers, while singles went to Blackmore, Laureigh and newcomer Jason Bourchier. Carson Gallant had the lone Valley reply midway through the third. Sebastien Plamondon turned aside 18 of 19 shots in net for Truro to earn the win. Overall, the Bearcats outshot the Wildcats 33-19.
BLACKMORE SUSPENDED
Truro’s Blackmore will sit out a three-game suspension after he took a five-minute major for a blow to the head late in the first period of Saturday’s game.
This week Truro travels to New Glasgow tonight, Jan. 16, for a 7 p.m. game against the Crushers. Saturday they are in Bridgewater to take on the South Shore Lumberjacks, again at 7 p.m.
Next home game for the Bearcats is Saturday, Jan. 25 when they entertain the Yarmouth Mariners at 7 p.m.