TRENTON - The North Nova Gryphons boy’s hockey team opened their regular season with two wins this weekend.
On Friday night at a packed Trenton Arena, the Gryphons hosted the Hants East Tigers and came away with a 5-4 victory.
Colin Holmes opened the scoring midway through the first period with Noah Delorey and Kirklin Murray getting the assists. Hants East tied the game on a power play only to have Chris Brooker score 10 seconds later to put the Gryphons up 2-1 after the first. Jacob Pentz had the helper.
Carson Dunbar scored two goals early in the second frame assisted on the first by Brooker and Pentz and unassisted on the second. Hants East scored two more before Holmes potted his second of the night with Ryan MacDonald adding the helper.
Hants East scored a power play goal early in the third but North Nova shut the door for the remainder of the game to secure the 5-4 win. Matt Murray picked up the win for North Nova.
The Gryphons travelled to Westville on Saturday to take on their cross-county rivals, the Northumberland Nighthawks. Taylor Publicover started the scoring for NNEC, assisted by Holmes and MacDonald. NRHS answered quickly, but Pentz scored two goals to end the period up 3-1. Brooker and Dunbar added assists.
In the second frame, Publicover scored his second of the night, assisted by MacDonald, before Pentz completed his hat trick on an unassisted shorthanded goal. Dunbar rounded out the second period scoring assisted by Connor MacDougall and Holmes.
NRHS added one goal in the second and opened the third with another.
Sean Duggan finished off the scoring for NNEC, with the assist going to Dunbar, to make the final score 7-3. Kieran MacGillivray backstopped the Gryphons to the victory.
The Gryphons play next on Friday, Oct. 17 at home against the Dalbrae Dragons at 8:30 p.m. at the Trenton Arena before travelling to Lantz on Saturday to take on Hants East at 7 p.m.