Strait Pirates with 2-0 lead in Playoffs

February 26, 2011. Saturday night just the one game in the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League quarterfinals had the Strait Pirates at the Bay Plex in Glace Bay. For the second time in two nights the Junior Miners took an early 2-0 lead and both times the Pirates roared back to take the wins. Friday night in Port Hawkesbury the Miners blew a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 then Saturday night in Glace Bay the Miners saw a 2-0 lead disappear to lose 4-3.

With just 21 seconds remaining in the first Ryan MacDougall put the home team up on the board first with, an even-strength goal, from John Walsh and Connor Rogers.

Shots after one favoured the Miners at 18-5.

Six minutes into the second period Brett McCarron scored a short-handed, unassisted goal to get the Miners up 2-0. Within the span of three minutes the Pirates tied the game at two first Evan Wright, on the power play, from Sean Tyler then Marc Bourgeois from Nick Allard and Tyler. Again the Miners controlled the shot clock at 16-7 for a two-period total of 34-12.

In the third the Pirates went up 4-2 on goals by Mike Shannon and Marc Bourgeois, his second of the game. Jeremy Sheppard assisted both goals with Dale MacIntosh and Nick Allard also getting the assists. With just seven seconds left in the period Ryan MacDougall scored, his second of the game, but the time clock ran out and the Miners see themselves trailing the best-of-seven series 2-0.

The Miners had a huge 54-20 shot advantage but it was Chris Denney who kept the Pirates in the game and a chance to go ahead in the series. Jon MacKinnon was tagged with the loss.

Game three shifts back to the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre Monday night at 7:30 pm.