WESTVILLE ROAD
Perhaps it is too early in the season to use a word like ‘desperate.’
Then again, perhaps it isn’t.
“It’s November, but it’s a desperate November,” junior A Crushers head coach Doug Doull said on Wednesday, just before his team hit the ice for a practice.
“We’re giving away divisional points, and we can't use injuries or a lack of a bodies as an excuse. We need to find a way and that’s something that’s been communicated,” to the players.
The Crushers, losers of five of its past six games and currently sitting outside the Maritime Hockey League playoff picture, will host the Summerside Western Capitals Thursday at the Pictou County Wellness Centre.
The Capitals are also in a bit of a slide – having lost four of five to fall under the .500 mark – but they beat the Crushers 5-2 on Nov. 14 in Summerside.
“The last time we played them we got out-worked,” Doull of that game, “and that’s something we need to match, or exceed.”
After they finish with Summerside, the Crushers, three points behind the Truro Bearcats for the final playoff spot in the MHL South, won’t play again until Nov. 17 against the Miramichi Timberwolves, a rare Friday night home game for Pictou County.
Crushers captain Michael Dill said he’s not concerned about the Crushers’ current position in the South Division.
“We’re just worried about the next game, we’re not worried about the standings at all. We’re just trying to get back in the win column.”
PICTOU COUNTY CRUSHERS
Record: 7-9-1 (5th place, South Division)
Top Scorers: Jacob Hickey (8G, 9A), Michael Dill (5G, 10A), Dylan Riley (6G, 8A)
Numbers Say: Pictou County has allowed 12 goals in the past two games.
SUMMERSIDE WESTERN CAPITALS
Record: 6-8-1 (4th place, North Division)
Top Scorers: T.J. Shea (12G, 16A), Jesse Annear (4G, 11A), Jordan Spence (1G, 13A).
Numbers Say: Second in MHL scoring behind South Shore’s Logan O’Neil, Shea has a nine-game point streak going, with eight goals and 14 assists.
