Bearcats blanked by Crushers, Tigers

TRURO, N. S. – The Truro Bearcats suffered a pair of shutout losses last week in the Maritime Junior Hockey League.

On Thursday, the Bearcats were blanked 3- 0 by the hometown Pictou County Crushers, before a 4- 0 home-ice loss to the Campbellton Tigers on Saturday.

The Bearcats still remain in third place in the Eastlink South Division with a record of 21-13- 2-1. Truro hosted the Amherst Ramblers on Wednesday (visit trurodaily.com for result). Tonight, the Bearcats are in Bridgewater to face the South Shore Lumberjacks in the first game of a home-and-home series between the teams. They meet on Saturday in Truro at 7 p.m.

Campbellton 4, Truro 0

The Tigers jumped out to a quick lead, as Dylan Coffey just 47 seconds into the game. Coleton Perry scored at 17:44 of the first for a two-goal Campbellton edge after 20 minutes.

After a scoreless second, Joel Walker beat Bearcats goaltender Alec Macdonald with a wicked wrist shot from the right circle at 2:21 of the third before Matt Warner scored into an empty net in the dying seconds for the 4- 0 final.

Campbellton carried the play throughout most of the contest and outshot Truro 44-25 in front of a crowd of 1,179 fans at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre. Marc-antoine Berube-jalbert earned the shutout.

Tigers defenceman Hunter Martin, of Millbrook, played a solid game on the blueline and assisted on Perry’s first period goal.

Pictou County 3, Truro 0

The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Bearcats.

The Crushers opened the scoring when Harry Sanders found the twine at 10:42 of the first period. Malcolm George made it 2- 0 with a power-play goal at 4:18 of the second, while Calum MacPherson scored late in the third into an empty net to seal it.

Bearcats goaltender Myles Hektor made 26 saves, while Matt Normore of the Crushers stopped all 32 shots he faced for his league-leading fifth shutout of the season.