Cause for some concern despite Crushers’ 8-4 win

You wouldn’t think there’d be much to complain about when a team is in first place.

As the Pictou County Crushers got set to play the Woodstock Slammers on Friday night in Mount William, Drew Packman was asked about playing with a big lead, and whether the dreaded ’C’ word – complacency – can set in.

“It’s definitely becoming a bad habit that we need to fix,” said Packman, an assistant captain and one of the penalty killers that coach Doug Doull heavily depends on.

“You try not to let it happen but it can definitely seep into your game.”

The Crushers beat a shortstaffed South Shore Lumberjacks on Thursday (they brought 13 skaters to the Pictou County Wellness Centre), an 8-4 win in which the Crushers scored three power play goals and one shorthanded (Alex Bonaparte), but gave up four goals on the penalty kill to a Lumberjacks team playing out the string.

“Our penalty killing wasn’t going as well as it has been. It was kind of a weird game with all the penalties in general,” Packman said.

Bonaparte, Michael Dill and Brad Kennedy all had two goals, Dylan Riley and Packman also scored.

Alexis Roy set up four of the Crushers’ goals and Jake Hickey had three assists for Pictou County, which has scored 40 goals in its past six games. The Slammers arrived in Pictou County suddenly battling for a playoff spot. Heading into Friday night, they were four now just points up on the St. Stephen Aces (4-1-1 in their past six), who have played one fewer game than Woodstock and are looking to make the Maritime Junior Hockey League post-season for the first time in team history.

“They’re fighting for the playoffs,” Packman said, “and they’ll want to win this one.”

On Sunday, the Crushers head to Berwick to play the Valley Wildcats at 2 p.m.

The Wildcats will provide the oppositon for the Crushers’ regular Thursday home game next week, at 7 p.m. at the Wellness Centre.