TRURO, N.S. — TRURO, N.S. – It’s a given that when the Truro Bearcats and Pictou County Weeks Crushers get together the sparks fly.
Saturday though, rather than piling on the penalty minutes, it was the other side of the ledger that brought all the fireworks as the Maritime Junior Hockey League teams dueled to an 8-7 shootout final at the RECC, that saw the Crushers take the decision.
Pictou County got out to a quick start, scoring twice before it was halfway through the opening period. The Bearcats countered with two of their own leaving the teams deadlocked at two after the opening frame.
In the second, it was much of the same as each team found the mark three times to make it 5-5 after 40 minutes. Two more each in the third period sent them to overtime at 7-7.
With nothing settled there, it was on to a shootout, where Sullivan Sparkes was the only one to score of six shooters and the Crushers got the nod for the win.
Ben Higgins was top gun for Truro, scoring three times – a goal in each period – and adding an assist for good measure. Spencer Blackwell had a goal and three helpers, all on Higgins’s goals and Carson Lanceleve picked up three assists, as well. Lucas Parsons, Dell Welton and Zak Yewchuk accounted for the other Bearcats goals, while Caleb Hart had two assists and Curtis Heffernan, Matt Gordon and Brandon Knight all had an assist each.
For the Crushers, Sparkes had the hat trick and helped out on two others. Kevin Mason, Dallas Farrell, Jack Morris and Keenan Gillis had the other Pictou County goals.
Shots on goal were 37-36, in favour of the Crushers. Despite the high totals, just one of the 14 regulation-time goals came on the power play, scored by Pictou in the second.
Next up for the Bearcats is a trip to Berwick to take on the Valley Wildcats, Friday at 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2, Truro makes a New Brunswick swing, playing Campbellton and Miramichi, respectively.
Nov. 8 they are back at the RECC to face Valley and the following night they entertain South Shore Lumberjacks. Both games begin at 7 p.m.
