PICTOU – The Fundy Highland PeeWee AA Selects started provincials with an 11-2 victory over Metro East Inferno on Friday.
In a game that had an 11 a.m. start time at the Hector Arena in Pictou, the Selects raced out to a 3-0 lead after one period of play and didn’t let up, continuing to put pressure on the Inferno and burying their chances when they presented themselves.
“I was really pleased with the effort overall,” said coach Craig Clarke.
“I thought we worked really hard. We just have to work on a couple of little things.”
He said both goals scored by the Inferno came as a result of being over-aggressive in the offensive zone, leading to odd-man rushes and/or a penalty that ended up costing them.
“We just have to be a little careful – make sure you stay out of the penalty box and life is good,” Clarke said.
Leading the relentless offensive attack for Fundy Highland was Maddie Beson and Olivia Marks, each of whom collected two goals and three assists, while Rylan Biron had a goal and set up four others as the Selects enjoyed a strong edge in territorial advantage throughout most of the game.
Also scoring for the Selects were Baillie Griffon, Willa Evans, Kenzie Greencorn, Josie Dunn, Julia MacDonald and Elisabeth MacEachern.
Gabby Arsenault and Jorga Burrows shared netminding duties for the Selects.
The Selects had a 5 p.m. game on Friday and have two more round-robin games on Sunday: at 8:30 a.m. and then at 12:30 p.m.
Despite the lopsided result in their opening contest, Clarke said he expects the competition to get more difficult as the tournament progresses.
“Every game will go up a notch now.”
There is no admission charge for the provincial tournament this weekend, with all games being played in Pictou.
The championship game is Sunday at 11 a.m.
