The local team earned silver in the final at the Westville rink after going 2-1 in the round robin, and winning the semifinals against the Amherst Vikings Saturday night.
“(I’m) disappointed. But we gave it our best effort. We couldn’t score when we had the opportunities. We were outshooting them …, and then when they scored, it turned the momentum of the game,” NNEC manager Tony Pelton said.
North Nova started off the scoring with a shorthanded goal from Carson Dunbar, assisted by Colin Holmes, in the first period, but by the second, the game turned around.
Three late period goals in the second, and a mid-period power play shot in the third, from Riverview tipped the scales in their favour.
A goal from Jacob Pentz, also assisted by Holmes, in the third lowered the lead for Riverview and increased NNEC’s chances.
NNEC wasn’t able to capitalize on any more chances, though, while Riverview grabbed an empty net goal in the final minute.
Pentz said the team missed a few opportunities.
“We played well, but we didn’t get the bounces. Can’t really do much when you get two goals called off. We played pretty much our best, I’d say,” he said, adding that the referees “didn’t help us the whole tournament.”
Pentz and Pelton both had good things to say about how the team played over the course of the weekend with Pelton noting NNEC played three games on Saturday, “a challenge at this level.”
Despite their beginning 4-2 loss against Riverview – a late game on Friday night after their afternoon game against Dr. J.H. Gillis was postponed due to weather conditions in Antigonish, Pentz said they came back to win the two they needed to get to the crossovers – a 3-1 win against the East Hants Tigers, and a 2-1 win against Antigonish -
before topping Amherst at the semifinal.
NNEC plays the hosts of the tournament, Northumberland Regional High School, in a regular game Friday night at the Pictou County Wellness Centre at 7 p.m.
On Twitter: @NGNewsAmanda
