Exciting start to Green and Gold tournament
Hosts topple Academy; Redmen edge Panthers in shootout
If the opening night’s action was any indication, this year’s edition of Memorial High School’s Mae Kibyuk Green and Gold hockey tournament should be a dandy.
In Thursday’s tournamentopening match, the Riverview Redmen and the Glace Bay Panthers needed a shootout to settle a tight contest that saw the two rivals battle to a 2-2 draw through regulation and the three-on-three overtime period. And, the subsequent shootout was not decided until the two teams’ sixth shooters had their turn. First, the Redmen’s Nick MacGillivary beat Panthers goalie Kane Drake. And, when Glace Bay’s Connor Campbell was unable to get the puck past Riverview’s Michael O’Reilly, the Redmen bench erupted as the squad rushed their heroic goalie to celebrate the win.
Cole MacPhee and Christian Hardy scored the other Riverview goals, while Logan Bresowar and Ryan Wilson responded for Glace Bay.
The evening’s second match featured the host Marauders taking on a young Sydney Academy team. And, the experience won out as Memorial skated to a 5-2 win over the Wildcats, much to the delight of the majority of the crowd of about 1,000 at the Emera Centre in North Sydney.
Memorial received goals from Trent Reardon, Michael MacDonald, Jacob Keagan, Matthew Ryan and Glenn McInnis, while Andrew MacLeod and Shane Porga replied for the Sydney school.
Academy goalie Matthew Nugent faced 32 shots, while Memorial’s Evan Jardine tended to 19 shots at his goal.
The Green and Gold tournament continues today when the four out-of-area schools join the on-ice fray. The other teams are Inverness’ Dalbrae Academy Dragons, Antigonish’s Dr. J.H. Gillis Royals, the Sir John A. Mcdonald Flames of Upper Tantallon, and Halifax’s J.L. Ilsley Judges.
Action continues today, starting at 10:45 a.m. The day’s final match features the Marauders taking on the Judges at 7:30 p.m.
The Green and Gold is the first of four high school hockey tournaments that will be held in Cape Breton this season. Sydney Academy will host its tournament next week, while Riverview’s Red Cup and Glace Bay’s Panther Classic are also on tap this season.