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Major Midget Islanders head to Valley with playoff confidence

There’s nothing easy about being a goaltender, especially when the opposing forecheckers are driving your defencemen into you. Here Cape Breton West’s Kenzie MacPhail tracks the puck despite Brant Timmons being pushed into him by a Valley forward in Saturday’s Major Midget playoff opener in Port Hood.


-by Bill Dunphy

The Cape Breton West Islanders are brimming with confidence after making their first-round playoff series with the Valley Wildcats a best-of-three series.
    The Islanders began their run at a Nova Scotia Major Midget Hockey League championship with a disappointing 3-2 loss in double overtime on Saturday.
    But on Sunday, the three-week layoff due to Canada Games was a distant memory as the Islanders took it to the Wildcats in a 10-2 victory.
    “I think we were the better team last night, and just didn’t get the result” said Islanders’ captain Darren Waterman, noting the they came back from down 2-0 in the first period to take the game into overtime.
    “We’re a very good team when everyone contributes and everyone is scoring goals. If we continue to play like we did this weekend, good things will happen,” he added.
    Waterman said the Islanders are confident playing the remainder of the best-of-five series in Berwick, which makes it a best-of-three.
    “It’s not going to be easy and they’ll be working hard. But we’ll be working hard, too.”
    In Saturday’s opener, the Valley got off to the good start with a powerplay goal at 11:20 and a seeing-eye goal at 18:18 that deflected off a skate past Islanders’ goaltender Kenzie MacPhail.
    Waterman got the Islanders’ offence going at 2:55 of the second frame. Dave Matthews forced a turnover at the Valley blueline and Waterman went to the net where a juicy rebound on Matthew’s shot lay in the slot waiting to be pounded into the back of the net.
    With time running down in the second, Matthew Ellis picked up a rebound on a point shot by Neil MacLean to score a powerplay goal at 19:41 to tie the game 2-2.
    The third period was scoreless, as was the 10-minute overtime that followed the end of regulation time.
    But in the second overtime, another deflection in the crease gave the Valley the winner. Shots on goal were 37-37.
    Sunday’s game got off to a similar start with both teams skating to a 1-1 first-period tie.
    The turning point came four minutes into the second period when Valley coach Jeff Krichew, who looked ridiculous flapping his arms whenever he thought the officials missed a call, finally got on the referees’ nerves and he was assessed a bench minor.
    Forty seconds later Matthew Raike, playing the point on the powerplay, pinched in and fired a howitzer just under the crossbar of the Valley net.
    From then on it was all Cape Breton West, with the top line of Waterman, Sam Grant, and Matthews collecting 13 points. Grant had five assists while Waterman had the hat trick and Matthews with a pair.
    Along with Raike, single markers were scored by Lewis Taylor, Ellis, Daniel Gillis, and Lowell MacDonald.
    MacPhail faced 31 shots in the win.
    The series resumes Friday at 7 p.m. in Berwick. Game four is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and a fifth game, if necessary, will be played on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

 

 

 


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