News

At Christmas there are many traditions. In addition to exchanging gifts and family gatherings, hockey tournaments have always been a popular family tradition as well. Earlier today the Glace Bay Minor Hockey Bantam Metro Christmas Tournament kicked-off a six-team competing for top honors. The host GBMH Association has three Glace Bay teams, the Northside have entered two and the CB County Islanders round-off the team list.
 
This morning’s first game saw our Glace Bay #2 Miners faced-off against the Northside #1 team and skated to a convincing 6-1 victory.  Both teams played a bit cautious early in the first five minutes of the opening period until the MINERS#2 team captain Riley Smith “lit the lamp” at with 9:15 showing on the clock. Then less than two minutes later Smith would tally his second marker of the period that would later prove to be his team’s eventual game winner. With the home team gaining offense momentum Nathan Doucet found his scoring touch around the net, putting his team in front with a commanding 3-0 lead. However before the period would end North Sydney’s Nick Shepperd scored his visiting team’s only marker of the game on a nice play with Aaron Dandy and Kyle Crosby closing the gap 3-1.
The middle period both teams exchanged some excellent scoring chances but it was the back-end defense and goaltending that stood out, resulting in a scoreless frame.
This style of tight play extended well into the final stanza until Josiah Gill re-ignited the MINER’s offense once again scoring from the slot area with 3:37 remaining. During the following shift team-mate Jordan MacNeil #11 found himself parked in front of the Northside cage to receive and one-time a “from behind the net pass” putting the Bay ahead 5-1. Finally, our MINERS would close-out their scoring spree with Riley Smith sniping his third goal of the contest to round-out his hat-trick effort. MINER’s back-stopper Gabe Hynes played a strong game between the pipes to pick up the win.
Note: Glace Bay #2 played the Northside #2 team to a 3-3 tie in their second game of the tournament this afternoon at the BAYplex.
The victory was a solid team effort with much of the credit going to the players who added assists during the game: Luke MacDonald, JR Aucoin and Austin MacLeod each chipped in with a pair of helpers while adding singles were Blake Dean, Darcy O’Brien, Tyler Strong, Matt MacDonald, Gill, Doucet  and MacNeil.
 
Glace Bay MINER’s #2 Roster includes: Gabe Hynes, Kegan Comer, Luke MacDonald, Stephen Ferguson, Ryan Bass, Riley Smith, Riley Murrant, Josh Borden, Gabe Polini, Mitch MacDonald,  JR Aucoin, Austin MacLeod, Blake Dean, Darcy O’Brien, Tyler Strong, Matt MacDonald, Josiah Gill, Jordan MacNeil and Nathan Doucet.
Coaching staff includes: Mike Somerton, Mark Royal and team manager Kevin MacDonald.
 
 BEST OF LUCK TO OUR MINER’s #2 TEAM during the balance of their Christmas Tournament and for the rest of this hockey season... 
 
The tournament continues Sunday:
Dominion Rink 10am County vs NS#1
BAYplex: 3PM NS#2 vs County, 4pm GB#1 vs NS#2 and 5pm GB#3 vs GB#2
Crossovers Sunday @ BAYplex – 7pm 1st vs 4th and 8pm 2nd vs 3rd
Tournament Championship Game – BAYplex @ 8PM