Storm leads championship series 3-1
Back-to-back wins on home ice has given the South West Storm a 3-1 lead in the bestof-seven championship series against the East Hants Penguins in the Nova Scotia Regional Junior Hockey League.
The series was tied 1-1 going into the April 6 weekend action at the Sandy Wickens Memorial Arena in Barrington. The Storm posted a 3-1 win in game three to take the series lead. Caelen Wallace had a goal and an assist for the Storm. Alexander Swaine and JJ MacPhee were the other Storm marksmen.
In game four on April 7, the Storm blanked the Penguins 3-0. Tyson Peters had the shutout, stopping all 35 shots on goal. JJ MacPhee posted two goals for the Storm, with one from Riley Hubbard. Zach D’Arcy had two assists.
The championship series opened on March 29 with the Storm posting a 7-2 win in game one. East Hants came back with a 3-2 win in game two on March 30.
Game five moves to East Hants on April 12 for an 8 p.m. face-off. Game six if necessary is scheduled for April 13 in Barrington at 7 p.m. Game seven, if necessary, will be played in East Hants on April 14, with a 5 p.m. start.
The Storm rebounded from a 2-0 series deficit to win the best-of-five semi-final series against the Sackville Knights 3-2 to advance to the championship round. The Storm are the two-time defending league champs as well as the 2023 Maritime Junior C champions.
The winners of the championship series advance to the 2024 Maritime Junior C Hockey Championship, being hosted by the Sunny Corner Thunder at the Miramichi Civic Center in Miramichi, N.B. from April 24 to 28.
The four-team tournament includes provincial championship teams from New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and the host Thunder.