PICTOU COUNTY – Down 2-0 through two periods in Sunday’s provincial qualifier against the Truro Bearcats, the Pictou County peewee AAA Crushers bounced back with a pair of goals in the third to tie the game and send it to overtime.
“They said we needed to get more shots on net because we weren’t getting enough on net and there was a big difference in shots,” said Crushers captain Jake Martin. “They said we were still in it, the game wasn’t over yet and there was still 15 minutes in the third and that we had this game.”
The Crushers had their hearts broken 7:48 into the first overtime as Jared McIssac scored his second of the game to punch the Bearcats ticket to provincials with a 3-2 victory.
Scoring for the Crushers were Kevin Mason and Martin. Assists went to Mason Hawley and Oliver Schnare. Mitchell Cummer took the loss in the goal for the Crushers.
McIssac led the Bearcats with a pair of goals, while Gavin Hart added a single tally. Alec MacDonald picked up the win in goal.
Martin said the team played well throughout the weekend and he was happy with how they came together in the third period even though they were trailing.
“It was a great effort by everybody,” he said. “They showed a lot of heart out on the ice. Our goalie played really well and it was good that we got as far as we did. I’m just happy that we got that far from a 2-0 deficit.”
He said their early struggles came because of penalties to them and struggling to score on the man advantage, which created an uphill climb for the team.
“Penalties didn’t really help us today and the puck was in our end a lot, but we just couldn’t get it out,” he said. “We struggled to breakout and get it into their end.”
The team still has a chance to get into provincials through a wildcard based on where other teams in the province finish.
christopher.cameron@ngnews.ca
On Twitter: @NGNewsChris
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