PICTOU COUNTY - In late April, 2008 the Weeks Crushers Jr. A Hockey Club shocked the CJHL when they upset the heavily favored Pembroke Lumberkings in the final of the Fred Page Cup that was hosted in New Glasgow.
Their road to the Fred Page Cup began in the playoffs where the Crushers defeated their rival Truro Bearcats in six games in the Bent Division Series. The Division finals had the Crushers going head-to-head with the highly touted Yarmouth Mariners, who eliminated the Crushers on in five games.
Next up for the Crushers was the waiting game. With nearly a full month off prior to Game 1 of the Fred Page Cup, the Crushers spent a week away from the rink before they returned to regular practice in preparation of the tournament.
The tournament didn’t start out the way the Crushers had hoped, as the powerhouse Lumberkings dumped the Crushers 7-1 in front of a packed house at the John Brother MacDonald Stadium. The Crushers rebounded in the round-robin with victories against Sherbrooke and Yarmouth. With a 2-1 record, the Crushers earned a spot in the semifinal and were set to face off against the same Yarmouth Mariners team that eliminated them from the MJAHL playoffs a month earlier.
Heading into the third period, the Crushers trailed the Mariners 2-1 but with goals by Jason Rinzler, Scott McManaman and Ryan Stoddard, the Crushers roared back and defeated the Mariners 4-2 and booked their place in the final.
Pictou County native Andrew Joudrey opened the scoring for the Crushers in the final who led 1-0 after the first period. Pembroke evened the score through two periods, which set up a third period that no Crusher will forget. Rinzler put the Crushers ahead with only seven minutes to go in the frame and Jordan Knox sealed Pembroke’s fate with a highlight real unassisted goal with just under four minutes to play and an empty net marker with only seconds remaining.
The 2008 Fred Page Cup Championship was the first major championship for the Weeks Crushers Organization and to celebrate the five year anniversary of the accomplishment, the Crushers are welcoming back members of the championship team prior to the Crushers playoff game versus the Bridgewater Lumberjacks Wednesday night at the Pictou County Wellness Centre.
Game time is 7 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at Big Al’s, Woody’s Variety, the Tartan Blade Barber Shop or by calling 485-7326.
