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Bulldogs Have a Positive Start to the 2019-2020 NSJHL Season
2019-10-10
Antigonish forward Cory MacLellan chases down the puck in NSJHL Action (photo courtesy of the Casket Newspaper).
Bulldogs Start the Season with 3 wins.
Four games into the 2019-2020 NSJHL Season sees the Bulldogs sporting a 3-1 record and a share of second place in the Sid Rowe standings. Newly minted head coach Donnie Grant saw lots of positives in camp that he hoped would extend into the regular season. “We had a great camp and even though there was some unexpected turnover in the lineup, I was really excited by the level of skill that was on the ice.” Grant added, “We had a few veterans that elected not to come back for school reasons, so that opened up some spots for younger players and some places that we were able to fill by making some trades. I think we are going to ice a pretty competitive lineup and one that will play an uptempo brand of hockey that the fans should enjoy”.
The Bulldogs first test was on Friday September 20 against the defending NSJHL Champion Sackville Blazers and it didn’t take long for the Antigonish fans in attendance to see why the Blazers claimed the NSJHL banner last year. In a game that saw plenty of hits and some excellent play-making by both teams, the Dogs came up on the short end of a 5-4 score in their home opener. Scoring for the Dogs were Ryan Bakker (4th year, Brookfield), Spencer Baron (2nd year, Country Harbour), Jacob Nobbe (2nd year, Halifax), and Jack Nielsen (1st year, Calgary). Zach Forsythe (2nd year, Coldbrook) notched 2 assists, and Keegan Gauthier (2nd year, Halifax) added the final helper. Jared Green (3rd year, Antigonish) took the loss in the pipes for the Dogs.
On Sunday September 22, the Dogs boarded the bus for an early afternoon affair against the Eskasoni Eagles and grabbed a come-from-behind overtime win. Two Bulldogs were key in the victory - Will Kelly (4th year, Quispamsis, acquired via trade) and Spencer Barron both had two goals and an assist. Kelly’s three-point performance included the game tying goal late in the third and the OT winner. Adding assists for the Dogs were Cory MacLellan (2nd year Antigonish), Andrew Boyle (4th year, Antigonish), Jacob Nobbe, and Dylan MacDonald (1st year, Sherbrooke). Jacob Beaton (1st year, Halifax) played a solid game in goal to claim the victory.
The next Friday, the Dogs were back in the pound entertaining the much-improved Brookfield Elks. The pesky Elks played a very determined game against the Dogs but they were not able to hold off the persistent Dogs attack that resulted in a 7-2 final score. 1st year Bulldog Sam Mattie (Rockland ON) paced the offence with a goal and three assists, while Fearghus MacDonald (2nd year, Antigonish) and Will Kelly both had three point nights (Macdonald, 2G/ 1A, Kelly 1G/2A). Spencer Barron and Andrew Boyle each had two points (Barron, 1G/1A, Boyle 2A), Keegan Gauthier and Jack Nielsen each notched a goal, while Jacob Nobbe, Ryan Bakker, Cory MacLellan, and Sam Legere (1st year, Halifax) added single helpers. Cody MacEachern (1st year, Ottawa ON) picked up his first win in the Dogs cage.
The following Friday saw the Bulldogs take on the Scotians at the Pound for the first of four regular season meetings. In a game that saw some highlight reel goaltending from the Scotians Matthew Murray and the Dogs Cody MacEachern, and had the intensity of a playoff contest, the Dogs came out with a 2-1 victory. The Dogs were led by Fearghus MacDonald with a goal and an assist; Keegan Gauthier and Sam Mattie rounded out the scoring with a goal and an assist, respectively. MacEachern wasn’t as busy as the Scotians’ Murray, but made a number of key saves when called upon to shut the door and preserve the victory! “You know, for the first four games, there were a lot of positives, and we saw some things that we need to work on,” said Coach Grant. “We faced some pretty stiff competition in all four games, and we (the coaching staff) told the guys that if we keep playing our game, we will hopefully be successful.” Coach Grant added, “We loved the crowd and their energy over all three home games so far - we would love for that support to continue!” Season passes are available for the remainder of the Dogs' home games at the 50-50 table or by contacting any of the executive. Also, drop in your Toonie at the 50-50 table to take a roll of the dice with the Toonie Tumble, but most importantly, keep coming back to the Pound for some very entertaining Junior B hockey!
The Bulldogs first test was on Friday September 20 against the defending NSJHL Champion Sackville Blazers and it didn’t take long for the Antigonish fans in attendance to see why the Blazers claimed the NSJHL banner last year. In a game that saw plenty of hits and some excellent play-making by both teams, the Dogs came up on the short end of a 5-4 score in their home opener. Scoring for the Dogs were Ryan Bakker (4th year, Brookfield), Spencer Baron (2nd year, Country Harbour), Jacob Nobbe (2nd year, Halifax), and Jack Nielsen (1st year, Calgary). Zach Forsythe (2nd year, Coldbrook) notched 2 assists, and Keegan Gauthier (2nd year, Halifax) added the final helper. Jared Green (3rd year, Antigonish) took the loss in the pipes for the Dogs.
On Sunday September 22, the Dogs boarded the bus for an early afternoon affair against the Eskasoni Eagles and grabbed a come-from-behind overtime win. Two Bulldogs were key in the victory - Will Kelly (4th year, Quispamsis, acquired via trade) and Spencer Barron both had two goals and an assist. Kelly’s three-point performance included the game tying goal late in the third and the OT winner. Adding assists for the Dogs were Cory MacLellan (2nd year Antigonish), Andrew Boyle (4th year, Antigonish), Jacob Nobbe, and Dylan MacDonald (1st year, Sherbrooke). Jacob Beaton (1st year, Halifax) played a solid game in goal to claim the victory.
The next Friday, the Dogs were back in the pound entertaining the much-improved Brookfield Elks. The pesky Elks played a very determined game against the Dogs but they were not able to hold off the persistent Dogs attack that resulted in a 7-2 final score. 1st year Bulldog Sam Mattie (Rockland ON) paced the offence with a goal and three assists, while Fearghus MacDonald (2nd year, Antigonish) and Will Kelly both had three point nights (Macdonald, 2G/ 1A, Kelly 1G/2A). Spencer Barron and Andrew Boyle each had two points (Barron, 1G/1A, Boyle 2A), Keegan Gauthier and Jack Nielsen each notched a goal, while Jacob Nobbe, Ryan Bakker, Cory MacLellan, and Sam Legere (1st year, Halifax) added single helpers. Cody MacEachern (1st year, Ottawa ON) picked up his first win in the Dogs cage.
The following Friday saw the Bulldogs take on the Scotians at the Pound for the first of four regular season meetings. In a game that saw some highlight reel goaltending from the Scotians Matthew Murray and the Dogs Cody MacEachern, and had the intensity of a playoff contest, the Dogs came out with a 2-1 victory. The Dogs were led by Fearghus MacDonald with a goal and an assist; Keegan Gauthier and Sam Mattie rounded out the scoring with a goal and an assist, respectively. MacEachern wasn’t as busy as the Scotians’ Murray, but made a number of key saves when called upon to shut the door and preserve the victory! “You know, for the first four games, there were a lot of positives, and we saw some things that we need to work on,” said Coach Grant. “We faced some pretty stiff competition in all four games, and we (the coaching staff) told the guys that if we keep playing our game, we will hopefully be successful.” Coach Grant added, “We loved the crowd and their energy over all three home games so far - we would love for that support to continue!” Season passes are available for the remainder of the Dogs' home games at the 50-50 table or by contacting any of the executive. Also, drop in your Toonie at the 50-50 table to take a roll of the dice with the Toonie Tumble, but most importantly, keep coming back to the Pound for some very entertaining Junior B hockey!