TRURO - The Truro Bearcats passed their first major test of the season with flying colours last weekend in Yarmouth.
They intend to do the same this weekend in a two-game set with the Meek Division-leading Summerside Western Capitals. The two sides square off Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Colchester Legion Stadium before hooking up again Sunday in Summerside at 2 p.m.
The Bearcats enter the games as the lone undefeated team in the Maritime Junior Hockey League at 9-0. But can they stay even hotter against the Caps, who stand at 8-1-1-0 with just one regulation and one overtime setback?
"We definitely want to be undefeated for as long as we can," said forward Brandon Pye, whose seven goals and nine assists have him tied for the team scoring lead with Kyle Morrison at 16 points apiece. "But we're just taking things one game at a time."
The Bearcats are fresh off a 5-2 win Thursday in Dieppe over the Commandos in front of 402 fans at Arthur J. LeBlanc Arena.
Morrison led Truro with a pair of goals in the second period while Travis Fernley also netted a pair - in the first and third. Both players also added assists for three-point nights. Captain Travis Moore had the other Truro marker and chipped in a helper while Jordan Coccimiglio and Mike Richard each had a pair of assists.
Shayne Campbell made 20 saves for the win while Connor Wilkinson stopped 25 in the loss.
Campbell held Dieppe off the scoresheet until the third period, when Mark Simpson and Lindon Beckwith hit the mesh just two minutes apart.
Just like their perfect record, the Bearcats seem to have just the right mix of scoring and defence this season. Their 46 goals are among the league's best, while their stingy defense has been beaten only 13 times, tops on the 11-team circuit. They've also been playing with discipline, collecting just 153 penalty minutes, 17 less than the next-best Commandos.
"I think we just keep it simple," Pye said. "We use our speed and depth and roll all four lines."
But Pye acknowledged the always-strong Caps will be an excellent test this weekend.
"They're a good team," he said. "We just need to play our game."
