NNEC right winger Katelyn Dunn carries the puck in the championship game against the C.P. Allen Cheetahs. CAROL DUNN PHOTO
The Gryphons played a back and forth contest in the championship game at the Antigonish Arena against the C. P. Allen Cheetahs. CPA opened the scoring in the first period, with NNEC answering back before the end of the first to tie it. Rachel Brown set up Katie Pentz, who beat the goalie low on the glove side. The Cheetahs again took the lead in the second period, and NNEC once more tied it up with a wrist shot from the point by Brittany Chisholm, after Camryn Halliday won the face-off. CPA scored to take the lead before the end of the second period, with the two teams trading chances for the remainder of the game. Neither were able to capitalize, and CPA held on for a 3-2 victory. Carlin Purvis took the loss in nets.
The Gryphons advanced to the final after defeating the Lockview Dragons in a close 1-0 match in the cross-over. NNEC held the balance of play and outshot their opponents, but it took until three minutes were left in the game before they were able to solve Lockview’s netminder, when Rachel Brown’s wrist shot from the high slot beat her over the blocker shoulder. Although Purvis wasn’t extremely busy in net, she made several key saves when called upon.
NNEC made it to the semi-final with a perfect record, winning all three round-robin games to take first place in their pool. CPA earned the berth in the final with a 3-1 victory over the host Dr. J.H. Gillis Royals in the other semi-final.
In the Gryphons’ first game of the tournament, the girls won 3-2 over CPA. Goals were scored by Meghan Fox, Meagan Stewart and Halliday. Lindsay Feit had two assists, and Taylor Perry a single. Purvis got the win in goal.
A hat-trick by Pentz led the Gryphons to a 7-0 victory over Avon View in their second game. Goals were also scored by Fox, Caitlyn Sandluck, Brown and Tracey Denny. Assists were recorded by Katelyn Dunn with three and singles by Stewart, Feit, Kourtney Barker, Sophia Wornell, Brown, Sandluck, Bailey Koehoorn and Gena Cyr. Jenna Landry posted the shut-out in nets.
The third game, versus the Auburn Drive Eagles, was dominated by the Gryphons from start to finish. NNEC got out to a 1-0 lead on a goal by Perry in the first period, and then Auburn scored in the second to tie it up going into the third. That’s when things heated up, with NNEC scoring five unanswered goals in the third for a final score of 6-1. Goals came from Sandluck, Stewart, Halliday, Chisholm and Dunn. Helpers went to Stewart, Brown, Perry, Feit, Dunn, Chisholm, Keeley MacCuish and Pentz. Landry was between the pipes.
The championship game was the second game on Sunday for seven of the players, who also play on the Pictou County Midget A Subway Selects team. They competed at the Hockey Nova Scotia Day of Champions in the morning in Truro, where they also won silver medals.
