Well, it’s all settled now.
The Standings are finalized, and the post-season matchups are set in both divisions and play will begin later in the week.
For the first time in the twenty-seven years since the Bearcat franchise returned to the junior ranks, they’re not in the picture.
At the start of last week, the Bearcats had three games slated. They needed wins, and some help from others.
At the end of the week, it’s clear things didn’t go their way. Winning one and losing two just didn’t cut it.
Last Wednesday, the West Kent Steamers came to town, utilizing quickness and strong transition to claim a 2-1 win.
The Bearcats threw everything but the kitchen sink at them, especially in the final pe
Inverness, NS
5’10”, 180 lbs.
20, Forward
riod but came up short.
Friday, in Yarmouth, the Bearcats played a very strong road game to earn a convincing win over the Mariners.
The game of the year for the Bearcats and Pictou County Crushers was set for Saturday at the RECC.
If the Bearcats win, they’re in. Unfortunately, the three goals in the first five minutes of the game by the Bearcats weren’t enough.
The Crushers wouldn’t go away. They chipped away, scoring a pair in the last two minutes of the game for the tie, then won it midway through the OT session. It was dramatic.
Valley needed to beat Pictou County, Sunday, to allow the Bearcats to advance. It didn’t happen, ending the Bearcat season.
That’s all she wrote, and it is what it is.
So, in the South, it’s Summerside vs Yarmouth and Pictou County vs Amherst; in the North, it’s Edmundston vs Fredericton and West Kent vs Miramichi. The first team to win twelve games gets all the marbles.
Sport provides many life lessons. Some are easier to accept than others but learn from them and move on.
Hats off to the Bearcats who have aged-out at the junior level and thanks for the contributions: James Beaton, Sam Archibald, Zach Welsh, Merle Putnam, Brendan MacRitchie, Dylan Chisholm, Alex Roode and Alex Nadeau.
The last day of one season is the first of the next.