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Jr. Miners defeat Antigonish in another nail biter
2021-02-01
Smith named 1st Star
The Jr. Miners and Antigonish played another classic game in Membertou Saturday evening but this time the Jr. Miners were victorious in handing the AA Munro Insurance Jr. Bulldogs a 3-2 setback in a shoot-out marking an end to the Bulldogs perfect 6-0-0 start. It also vaulted the Jr. Miners into first place in the Sid Rowe Division with a 6-2-2 record for 14 points compared to the Bulldogs 6-0-1 record for 13 points. The AA Munro Jr. Bulldogs still hold an advantage as they have three games in hand on the Jr. Miners entering their home game against Eskasoni Sunday evening. The Jr. Miners who had lost two previous starts, one in a shoot-out and the other by a single goal to Antigonish grabbed a 2-0 lead after forty minutes on goals from Logan Struthers and Chad O’Neill. Early in the third, Jacob David Nobbe pulled the Jr. Bulldogs to within a goal just 1:24 into the period and then with the Jr. Miners Nathaniel Fuller serving a slashing penalty which he took with 4:36 to play in regulation, Sam Mattie scored just 15 seconds into the power-play too knot the game at 2-2 and send it into overtime. Fuller was barely back on the ice when he took a holding penalty with 4:31 to play in the five-minute sudden-death but Antigonish could not connect and while outshooting the Jr. Miners 35-30 on the game and 3-2 in overtime, the teams were still tied at 2-2 forcing the shoot-out. Nathan MacMillan scored the shoot-out winner for the Jr. Miners in a game they wanted to win so desperately after losing the two earlier games in such dynamic fashion. Cody Smith stopped 33 of 35 shots for the Jr. Miners and Cody MacEachern 28 of 30 for the AA Munro Jr. Bulldogs.