The Strait Pirates captured the Sid Rowe Division of the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League on Saturday in Membertou, defeating the Junior Miners 4-3 in game four of what was scheduled to be a seven-game series. Members of the team include, from left: (front) Cody Smith, Matthew Morgan, Avery Warner, Callum Jordan, Peter Kopf, Jacob Keagan; (back) Liam MacKinnon, Cullen MacEachern, Bryce Reynolds, Josh Foster, Randon MacKinnon, Hunter Woodland, Devin Sceles, Brendan Lanning, Taylor Pierce, Olan Spears, Josh MacMillan, Austin Woodland, Christian Papineau, Branden Dauphinee.
-by Bill Dunphy
If you don’t think it’s possible to punch 19 guys in the gut all at once, then you weren’t in Membertou on Saturday night.
With overtime looming after a third-period comeback by the Junior Miners, Joshua MacMillan delivered such a blow when he scored with 2.2 seconds left in regulation time to lift the Strait Pirates to a 4-3 win and a 4-0 sweep of the Sid Rowe Division final series.
It was a sweep, but not without the Pirates finding some interesting ways to win. In Friday’s game three at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre, Avery Warner scored at 10:30 of the second overtime period. And in game two last Saturday in Membertou, defenceman Liam MacKinnon scored the only goal of the game with 3:44 left in regulation, giving goaltender Cody Smith his third straight shutout win.
“It’s been the whole team, with everyone contributing something,” said MacMillan after Saturday’s clincher. “Warner in OT, our fourth line (Olan Spears, Cullen MacEachern, Hunter Woodland) in the Antigonish series; Liam in the second game; Cody Smith, the backbone, the MVP, of our team; everyone doing something to win.”
MacMillan’s line, which includes Randon MacKinnon and Devin Sceles, had six points in Saturday’s game, with MacMillan scoring a first-period goal to tie it 1-1, and then the dramatic winner at 19:58 of the third.
“Coach put us out there for a faceoff in their end with about 30 seconds left. Randon and Devin were down low, I stayed high, they turned the puck over in the high slot and I just shot it – didn’t know where it was going,” said MacMillan. “Randon and Devin played a helluva game...everyone did.”
The Miners scored the first goal of the game when a clearing shot off the glass was caught at the blueline and kept in by Dan Reid, who found Mitchell Johnston with a pass at Smith’s back door.
MacMillan’s tying goal came at 18:56 of the first. Branden Dauphinee, in the dying seconds of a penalty kill, took off on a left wing rush to the net, with MacMillan trailing for the rebound.
Randon MacKinnon gave the Pirates the lead at 1:32 of the second frame, picking up a drop-pass on a play with MacMillan and Sceles and his pick beat Miners’ goalie Kaine Drake on the glovehand.
The 2-1 lead carried into the third period, where Taylor Pierce scored on the opening play, catching up to his own rebound on a play with Josh Foster and Matthew Morgan 19 seconds into the period.
But a goal by the Miners’ Noah Perry at 8:48, his shot ringing off a post and in, and a goal by Mike Penny at 11:23 on the tail end of a powerplay tied the game and had the momentum going the home team’s way.
The Pirates called a time out at 13:21, had a powerplay opportunity at 14:09, and overtime was 2.2 seconds away when MacMillan sealed the deal.
Shot were 34-22 in favour of the Pirates.
“Beating them in four? We didn’t expect it at all,” said MacMillan. “They had a bit of a break and were rested. They were probably expecting to play Antigonish, but we came out of that series on a roll, which really helped us take charge going into this series.”
Friday’s game in Port Hawkesbury was also a heart-stopper.
MacMillan scored the only goal of the first period on an assist from MacKinnon.
The Miners scored a pair of second period powerplay goals to take a 2-1 lead before MacKinnon tied it on a play with MacMillan and Christian Papineau.
A powerplay goal by MacMillan, assisted by MacKinnon and Warner, put the Pirates up 3-2 at 6:48 of the third. But at 8:44 the Miners made it a 3-3 game on a goal by Reid.
The first 10-minute overtime had the teams going to the dressing room for a break before the next 20-minute extra frame.
And at 10:30 of double OT, Warner finished a play with linemates Bryce Reynolds and Jacob Keagan to give the Pirates a 4-3 win.
Smith faced 44 shots for the win while the Pirates, who outshot the Miners 7-6 in the second overtime, had 39 shots in total on Drake.
The Pirates now await the winner of the Fred Fox Division series between the East Hants Penguins and Sackville Blazers. The Penguins have home-ice in the series and as of Monday’s 6-4 win by the Blazers in Sackville, the series is tied 2-2 with both teams winning at home. The series continues tonight (Wednesday), Friday, and Sunday.
A schedule for when the final series with the Strait Pirates would begin has yet to be determined.
“The break will give us a chance to get some practices in. But when the next series starts, we just have to put our work boots on, stay positive, and be the team we know we are and hopefully good things will happen,” said MacMillan.
