Sting of defeat
The Pictou County Crushers are feeling the effects of a Game 7 overtime loss to Amherst on Tuesday.
Their season screeched to a sudden halt on Tuesday, much earlier than most would have believed just two weeks ago.
You could point to a halfdozen possible reasons that might explain why the Weeks Crushers lost to the Amherst Ramblers in the opening round of the Maritime Hockey League playoffs but, ultimately, full credit has to go to Amherst, a hungry team that fought back from a two-goal deficit in the seventh game to extend their season.
“(Amherst) was a team that was extremely motivated to beat us. You could feel that even going into the series,” said Crushers coach Doug Doull after Game 7, in which Jordan King scored three times for the Ramblers, including the overtime winner that sent them into the next round against the Truro Bearcats.
Bradley Kennedy had two goals for Pictou County, while Alexis Roy, Jacob Hickey and Dylan Riley also scored.
It was an opportunity lost for the Crushers – and junior hockey players don’t get that many – but the defending MHL champions gave their fans an entertaining season, got to a Game 7 and into overtime. The last bounce didn’t go their way, but that’s the way it goes in sports: the breaks aren’t always in your favour.
“That’s my first Game 7 and that’ll sting for awhile,” said Doull.
“But I’m proud of what we achieved in a bounce-back year after winning (the league title in 2016).”
The announced paid attendance at the Crushers’ final game of the season was 1,650, but there were hundreds more crammed into almost every nook and cranny of the Pictou County Wellness Centre.
“It was tough,” Doull said, “but what can you say about our fans? They showed up to support us and it was an electric feel in the rink (Tuesday). You can’t say enough about the support we had this year.”
Pictou County will have some major pieces expected back when training camp opens in five months: MHL scoring champion Michael Dill, rookie of the year Dylan Riley, Jacob Hickey, Alex Bonaparte and Mark Kennedy, to name a few.
“We had seven rookies on our roster, seven guys that are coming back next year,” Doull said. “The experience for those first year players is invaluable. We have 14 eligible players returning who feel this (playoff loss).”
See you at the rink somewhere
The Crushers will graduate nine players from their 2016-17 roster: Captain Benji Curtis, assistant captains Mack Derraugh and Ethan Marsh, goaltender Daniel Vautour, Alexis Roy, Keven Larouche, Mark Kennedy, Nick Phillips and JeanMarc Evans-Renaud.