Blues defeat Miners 6-4

An early 2-0 lead wasn’t enough for the Glace Bay Jr. Miners to skate to a win over the Cumberland County Blues in Saturday night Nova Scotia Junior Hockey Action. Cape Breton native Jeff Deruelle had a big 3 point night including 2 goals and an assist leading the Blues to a 6-4 final over the Miners.

Coming off a big a big win Friday night in Antigonish against the Bulldogs, the Miners came out with 4 hits in the first two minutes. Eugene Fraser kicked off the scoring at the 10:48 mark in the first period on a goal assisted by Scott Sampson and Mitch Carabin. With 1:33 left in the first, David Burke of the Blues took a tripping penalty and Geoff Burke was punished with an unsportsman-like in the same stoppage. The Miners took advantage of the 5 on 3 opportunity, only taking 31 seconds to convert a goal from the point on a laser from Brett Simmons assisted by Ben Tatlock and Mitch Carabin with 1:02 left in the first.

The Miners were unable to capitalize on the remainder of the Geoff Burke penalty from the first period. Things turned south for the Miners at 16:21 in the second frame for the Miners when Scott Sampson took a cross checking penalty, giving the Blues a five minute power play and Sampson was on the end of a game misconduct as well. On the Blues power play another Cape Breton native Devon Muir struck at 14:41, assisted by Matt Noiles and David Burke with 2:20 remaining in the Sampson penalty, but the Miners were able to hold off the Blues for the remainder of their power play. Just past the 10 minute mark, the Blues struck with a goal from Scott Lee assisted by Matt Noiles and Garrett MacArthur, knotting the game up at 2 apiece. Only seventeen seconds later, Scott Lee scored again unassisted to put the Blues up 3-2, but the Miners answered back at 6:58 with a goal from Jordan Langlois assisted by Ben Tatlock and Brett Simmons, giving the pair of defensemen two points on the evening with helped keep the Miners tied at 3-3 going into the third. Shots on goal were Glace Bay 14 and Cumberland 12.

The Blues opened up the scoring in the third period with a goal on the power play at 19:17 with Jeff Deruelle netting his first of the night assisted by Zach Carson and Matt Noiles picking up his third assist of the night. But Liam MacDonnell stepped up and sniped a glove side goal on the right side of Andrew Court at 17:05 from a backhand pass by Eugene Fraser knotting things up a 4 apeice. But the Blues took the game from that point on. Jeff Deruelle walked in untouched at 12:20 in the third frame assisted by Devon Muir and at 9:19 the Blues put the final tally on the board with a goal from Seth Crowe assisted by Jeff Deruelle. Jonathan McKinnon suffered the loss for the Miners while Andrew Court picked up his 14th win of the season.

Article submitted by Liam Flannigan.