TRURO – A solid week was enough to lift the Truro Bearcats up a spot in this week’s national junior A hockey rankings.
The Bearcats (24-6-0-4) moved up to ninth on the list Monday morning as the Canadian Junior Hockey League released its weekly rankings. The Hubtowners were 10th a week earlier.
The Bearcats avenged a 3-2 shootout loss to the Pictou County Crushers Thursday with a 5-3 win Saturday in Truro in which they scored three goals in the final four minutes. The results lifted the Bearcats to within three points of the EastLink Division leading Yarmouth Mariners (27-8-1-0).
Truro was one of three Maritime Junior Hockey League teams to crack the top-10. The Mariners moved up one spot to eighth place while the Summerside Western Capitals (31-6-2-0), who pace the MHL, are third.
The rankings are based on several factors, including the league in which the teams play, winning percentage, win-loss record, total points and goals for and against ratio.
The Brooks Bandits (40-2-2-0) of the Alberta circuit have topped the rankings all season while the Minnesota Wilderness (33-3-0-1) of the Superior International Junior Hockey League round out the top three.
