Week two had the Truro Bearcats on the road for a pair of games. The response was good, picking up wins in both to give the club a great 4-0 record to start the year.
Last Thursday, in Pictou County, the Bearcats and Crushers played straight up, heading into the final period tied at one apiece.
The teams traded goals in the third, but the Bearcats scored the last two for a hard fought 5-3 win. It was a solid game with good goaltending along with physical play.
Friday, in Yarmouth, Truro picked up a 3-1 win in another close one. After a scoreless first period, the Mariners opened the scoring, but Truro pushed back, accounting for the remaining scoring and the win.
Louca Connolly was credited with both wins. The 19-year-old Quebec native came to the Bearcats last year fresh from CEGEP hockey, quickly establishing a key rule with Truro. In 28 outings he put together a 19-5-21 record, compiling a 2.69 GAA and .908 Save percentage. In the MHL finals, he followed the opening game loss with four straight wins, and performed admirably in Centennial Cup play, winning two and putting up great numbers.
Goaltending has been a Bearcat strength over the years. Last year was the eleventh year a Bearcat tandem had their names scribed on the Young-Kinckle Award. Connolly and Sam Berthiaume did that in their MHL rookie seasons.
Last Thursday, Connolly and Crusher, George Gallant, were both called upon for key saves in their first meeting of the season. Gallant (20) is a Summerside native who played three seasons with the Kensington Wild, picking up top goalie and All-Star selections along the way. The Capital 2022 draft choice spent the full 2024-2025 season with the MHL club but 25 games into last season was traded to Pictou County. In the last meeting, he clearly was the busier, facing 48 Bearcat shots.
Truro’s lone game of the week is slated for Sunday at 7:00 pm against the Crushers, who have a pair of games with Summerside before the trip to Truro.