Bearcats pick up wins over Grand Falls, South Shore

TRURO, N.S. — A pair of weekend wins helped the Truro Bearcats firm up their grip on third place in the Maritime Junior Hockey League’s Eastlink South Division.

Friday, the Bearcats needed a shootout to down the visiting Grand Falls Rapids 3-2. Then Saturday, Truro picked up two points, beating the South Shore Lumberjacks 4-1 at the RECC.

Against the Lumberjacks, goals by Karter Renouf and Gavin Hart staked Truro to a 2-0 first-period lead. Dylan Burton made it 3-0 late in the second before Braden Paquette broke Myles Hektor’s bid for a shutout, scoring on the powerplay, just past three minutes into the third.

Kyle Sexton added an insurance marker at 7:33, scoring unassisted on the powerplay, rounding out the 4-1 final.

Sexton, Renouf and Burton each had a goal and an assist in the contest.

Hektor turned aside 30 shots for the win. The Bearcats countered with 27 against netminder Ty Grant.

GRAND FALLS 2 TRURO 3 (SO)

After a scoreless opening frame, Gavin Hart tallied late in the second to make it 1-0. Grand Falls countered with a goal by Jean- Simon Belanger in the third, before Caleb Hart’s marker restored Truro’s one-goal lead.

Christian Snyder drew the Rapids even again at 14:44, sending the teams to overtime, where nothing was resolved.

In the shootout, both teams’ first marksmen scored, Chris Melendez for Grand Falls and Burton for the Bearcats. After four consecutive misses by the Rapids and three by Truro, Jack Mcgovern settled the matter, scoring on the Bearcats’ fifth shootout opportunity.

Alec Macdonald took the win in net for Truro, turning aside 28 of 30 shots. Nolan Boyd faced 34 Truro shots.

SUMMERSIDE 3 TRURO 2 (OT)

Last Thursday, Dylan Riley scored 37 seconds into the extra frame as the host Capitals edged the Bearcats.

Before 822 fans at Eastlink Arena, Jesse Annear and Brodie Macarthur set up Riley’s gamewinning goal, which was necessary after Truro’s Gavin Hart tied the game 2-2 with 34 seconds remaining in regulation time.

Annear and Jacob Hockey also scored for the Capitals, while Caleb Hart had the other goal for the Bearcats.

Truro goaltender Myles Hektor made 30 saves.

TRURO NEWS PHOTO Trey Faulkner of the Truro Bearcats takes a stick across the back from Jordan Spadafore of the Grand Falls Rapids during MHL action Friday at the RECC. The Bearcats held on for a 3-2 shootout win against the Rapids and downed South Shore Lumberjacks 4-1 on Saturday.