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Dogs Start the New Year Playing 500 Hockey
2019-01-21
The Dogs Liam Rowland carries the puck towards the offensive zone during NSJHL Action at the Antigonish Arena. Photo courtesy of Corey LeBlanc, Casket Newspaper.
Bulldogs currently in 3rd place in the tight NSJHL Rowe Division playoff race.
The Antigonish Junior B Bulldogs motored into the second half of the 2018-19 NSJHL season looking to build on the positives from before the Christmas break. “We had a pretty decent first half effort,” commented head coach David Synishin. “The coaching staff is pretty happy with the team's play overall; we recognize that there are areas where we need improvement, and we will work hard to get better each and every week, especially with playoffs around the corner.”
On January 4, 2019, the Dogs opened the second half of the season against the defending League and Don Johnson Champion Junior Miners. The Dogs came out firing on all cylinders, piling on the shots in the first period, and held a 1-0 lead on an early goal by Logan DeYoung (assisted by Andrew Boyle and Kurt MacLaughlin) until the Miners knotted the game late in the first. A well-played second period yielded lots of scoring chances but no goals as the Dogs Sebastian Aucoin held the fort with a number of great saves. The Miners took a 2-1 lead early in the third but A and W player of the Game Devin MacLaughlin quickly knotted the game at 2 (assisted by Coady MacKillop and Ryan Kennedy). The Miners took the lead again about 5 minutes later and the Dogs tied it up soon afterwards with Fearghus MacDonald potting the third Dogs goal off a beautiful feed from Cory MacLellan and Spencer Barron. A neutral zone miscue resulted in the Miners getting a breakaway goal before they put the game out of reach with an empty net goal and a 5-3 win.
The next Friday (January 11th) saw the Dogs in Cole Harbour for a rematch with the Cole Harbour Colts. In a game that saw a lot of offensive chances, the Dogs skated away with a 6-3 victory. Cory MacLellan paced the attack with two goals while Jacob Nobbe and Connor Fraser added a goal and an assist each. Three Dogs had two assists (Kurt MacLaughlin, Jagger Statton, and Zach Forsythe); Ryan Kennedy, Tyler Dyke, Luke Drohan, and Spencer Barron added single helpers. Sebastian Aucoin picked up his first win of the New Year in the cage.
On Sunday January 13th, the Dogs entertained the league-leading Strait Pirates. Tyler Dyke got the scoring started early in the first for the Dogs from Cory MacLellan and Coady MacKillop; the Dogs had the better of the play and a lot of quality scoring chances in the first but couldn’t increase their lead before the Pirates tied it late in the first. The Dogs held the Pirates to that single goal until midway through the second when the Pirates’s offense erupted to mount a 7-1 victory over the Dogs. Logan DeYoung was the A and W player of the game for the Dogs
On Friday January 18th, the Cumberland County Blues visited the Pound and left on the wrong side of a 13-3 loss. A and W player of the game Zachery Forsythe had a seven point night (4 goals and 3 assists); two Dogs had 4 point nights (Kieran Devine and Spencer Barron - 2G, 2A). Four Dogs chipped in with two points – Cory MacLellan, Jacob Nobbe, Keegan Gauthier, Fearghus MacDonald, and Andrew Boyle (1G, 1A). Connor Aucoin, Connor Fraser, Logan DeYoung, Ryan Kennedy, Coady MacKillop, Luke Drohan, and Tyler Dyke each added single assists. Call-up goaltender Brandon Connors from the Cape Breton West Islanders played a solid game in nets for the Dogs and earned the victory.
The Dogs see action on the road this week against the Valley Maple Leafs and the Cumberland County Blues. Their next home game is against the Pictou County Scotians at the Pound on Sunday February 3rd – puck drop is slated for 7:30. Come on out and cheer the Dogs as they march towards the playoffs.
“GO DOGS GO!!!!”
On January 4, 2019, the Dogs opened the second half of the season against the defending League and Don Johnson Champion Junior Miners. The Dogs came out firing on all cylinders, piling on the shots in the first period, and held a 1-0 lead on an early goal by Logan DeYoung (assisted by Andrew Boyle and Kurt MacLaughlin) until the Miners knotted the game late in the first. A well-played second period yielded lots of scoring chances but no goals as the Dogs Sebastian Aucoin held the fort with a number of great saves. The Miners took a 2-1 lead early in the third but A and W player of the Game Devin MacLaughlin quickly knotted the game at 2 (assisted by Coady MacKillop and Ryan Kennedy). The Miners took the lead again about 5 minutes later and the Dogs tied it up soon afterwards with Fearghus MacDonald potting the third Dogs goal off a beautiful feed from Cory MacLellan and Spencer Barron. A neutral zone miscue resulted in the Miners getting a breakaway goal before they put the game out of reach with an empty net goal and a 5-3 win.
The next Friday (January 11th) saw the Dogs in Cole Harbour for a rematch with the Cole Harbour Colts. In a game that saw a lot of offensive chances, the Dogs skated away with a 6-3 victory. Cory MacLellan paced the attack with two goals while Jacob Nobbe and Connor Fraser added a goal and an assist each. Three Dogs had two assists (Kurt MacLaughlin, Jagger Statton, and Zach Forsythe); Ryan Kennedy, Tyler Dyke, Luke Drohan, and Spencer Barron added single helpers. Sebastian Aucoin picked up his first win of the New Year in the cage.
On Sunday January 13th, the Dogs entertained the league-leading Strait Pirates. Tyler Dyke got the scoring started early in the first for the Dogs from Cory MacLellan and Coady MacKillop; the Dogs had the better of the play and a lot of quality scoring chances in the first but couldn’t increase their lead before the Pirates tied it late in the first. The Dogs held the Pirates to that single goal until midway through the second when the Pirates’s offense erupted to mount a 7-1 victory over the Dogs. Logan DeYoung was the A and W player of the game for the Dogs
On Friday January 18th, the Cumberland County Blues visited the Pound and left on the wrong side of a 13-3 loss. A and W player of the game Zachery Forsythe had a seven point night (4 goals and 3 assists); two Dogs had 4 point nights (Kieran Devine and Spencer Barron - 2G, 2A). Four Dogs chipped in with two points – Cory MacLellan, Jacob Nobbe, Keegan Gauthier, Fearghus MacDonald, and Andrew Boyle (1G, 1A). Connor Aucoin, Connor Fraser, Logan DeYoung, Ryan Kennedy, Coady MacKillop, Luke Drohan, and Tyler Dyke each added single assists. Call-up goaltender Brandon Connors from the Cape Breton West Islanders played a solid game in nets for the Dogs and earned the victory.
The Dogs see action on the road this week against the Valley Maple Leafs and the Cumberland County Blues. Their next home game is against the Pictou County Scotians at the Pound on Sunday February 3rd – puck drop is slated for 7:30. Come on out and cheer the Dogs as they march towards the playoffs.
“GO DOGS GO!!!!”