By John DeCoste
The Summit Hyundai Valley midget Wildcats had a solid showing at the East Coast Ice Jam, but the regular season, at least since Christmas, has been somewhat less than overwhelming in comparison.
The Wildcats lost their second straight game, and fell to 1-2 in regular season action in January, with a 4-3 loss to the Halifax Titans Jan. 18 in Berwick.
The Wildcats’ scheduled meeting with South Shore Saturday evening, Jan. 19 was postponed due to poor weather and driving conditions. The game was rescheduled for Thursday, Jan. 24, an 8 p.m. start in Berwick.
On Friday, Valley got off to a strong start, taking a 3-1 advantage into the second period on two goals by Grant Janes and one from Eli Hughes before Halifax struck for three unanswered goals to take the lead. The third period was scoreless.
Jack Patterson led Halifax with a pair of goals, with Ethan Marsh and Jordan Bezanson netting singles. Marsh’s goal at 12:15 of the second was the game-winner.
Justin Ritcey faced 34 shots as Halifax outshot the Wildcats 34-19.
Despite the loss, the Wildcats continued to lead the NSMMHL with a record of 28 wins, three losses, one shootout loss and two overtime losses for 59 points, good for a nine-point lead over Dartmouth and Halifax who were tied for second.
