WESTVILLE ROAD, N.S.
The Junior A Crushers would like to keep that little snowball from rolling any further down the hill.
Losers of two straight, the Maritime Hockey League club will entertain the Valley Wildcats on Thursday (7 p.m. at the Pictou County Wellness Centre).
The Crushers have scored just 11 goals in four regular games, but not for a lack of scoring chances.
“We’ve been putting in pretty good efforts, we’re just having trouble putting the puck in the net right now,” said defenceman Logan Vande Meerakker, who leads the team with three goals, all of them coming on the power play.
“But it’s early in the season. We’ve got to just keep moving the puck and that creates opportunities.”
The Wildcats are off to a 1-4 start but beat the Truro Bearcats last weekend in Truro.
“We can’t be taking any team lightly,” said Vande Meerakker, “especially coming off a couple of losses. Hopefully we can execute the game plan that coach (Mike) Danton gives us and get the two points.””
On Sept. 28 in Lunenburg, the South Shore Lumberjacks snapped a 2-2 tie with less than six minutes to go to nip the Crushers 3-2. Maxime Grandmaison and Evan Gallant scored for Pictou County, who two nights earlier were beaten 5-3 by the Bearcats at the PCWC. Lucas Parsons scored twice to lead ’Cats, while Grandmaison, Gallant and Vande Meerakker had the Crusher goals.
