TRENTON – The Pictou County Scotians might have to re-adjust their target.
Intent on bagging a division title, after a pair of overtime losses this weekend, the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League (NSJHL) club is now six points behind the Glace Bay Miners, who have won six games in a row.
“I feel like we’ll probably meet (Glace Bay) in the playoffs – hopefully – so I don’t think it’s that big of a deal at this point,” Jacob Pentz said of the chase for first place.
The Scotians, who have second-place sewed up unless disaster strikes, have six games left in the regular season, while Glace Bay has seven.
The Scotians lost 5-4 to the Antigonish Bulldogs on Sunday, a night after the Miners beat Pictou County 3-2 in Membertou, also in extra time.
In a back-and-forth game at Trenton rink, the Bulldogs tied Sunday’s game 4-4 with 5:16 remaining and Joshua Cunningham scored three minutes into OT.
Pentz had a goal and three assists to key the Scotians offence and Robert Burrows, William Kelly and Jeremy McFarlane also scored for Pictou County.
Pentz leads the Scotians with 37 points in 28 games (16G, 21A), while McFarlane’s goal was his team-leading 19th in 21 games.
With the playoffs a month or so away, NSJHL team are starting to pick up the pace.
“We’re getting down to it – the games are a little more intense,” said Pentz, a 20-year-old assistant captain who described the tilts against Antigonish and Glace Bay as being “high intensity, real close games.”
The Scotians had been scheduled to play a make-up game with the Miners on Wednesday in Cape Breton, but as of Monday afternoon, there was a chance it might need to be shifted again.
