By Jonathan Riley

DIGBY COURIER

NovaNewsNow.com

Kyle Hallett could break the 50-goal mark this weekend somewhere in southwestern Nova Scotia.

Hallett and the Harbour Crunch wrap up their Nova Scotia Junior C regular season this weekend with a road trip to Clare and Yarmouth.

“I didn’t think I’d get this close,” says Hallett. “But I got a couple more last weekend and now I’m wanting it so bad. It’s a nice little goal to be going for.”

Hallett in fact got seven goals on last weekend’s road trip through this end of the province; five against the Keith’s on Saturday, Feb. 2 and then two against Barrington on Sunday, Feb. 3.

He now stands at 48 goals and an even 80 points.

Alexandre Poirier set the previous goal record of 35 just last year while playing with the Clare Lions. This year he plays for the New Waterford Jets and has 17 points in only 12 games.

Another Lions player, Ryan Gallant, set the previous points total record of 68 last year. Gallant is an assistant captain with the Lions this year and has 64 points and 25 goals. His 39 assists are second only to Hallett’s linemate Kyle Miller who has 44 helpers.

Before the Nova Scotia Junior C in this end of the province, there was a Southwest Nova Junior C League. Cory McKinnon recorded an incredible 70 goals and 80 assists in his first year with Barrington eight years ago in 1999-2000.

When Crunch general manager and head coach Richard Patterson first saw Hallett step on the ice, he was thinking 100 points were possible.

“We knew he was one of those special players. We knew he would set records.

“You put the puck on his stick and he is gone and he doesn’t miss the back of the net very often. He has deadly accuracy – he might miss the back of the net once in every three shots.”

Hallett played some Junior B hockey with the East Hants Penguins and then took last year off to play gentleman hockey instead. He regretted that decision when East Hants won the Nova Scotia and Atlantic Junior B champsionships last year.

Hallet had an offer this year to play with the Pictou County Junior A Crushers but turned that down to play with his friends at home.

“All my friends were talking about playing Junior C. I had never seen any games but I knew it was going to be fun.

“It’s a lot less goony than I thought. It can get rough but not as bad as I thought it was.”

Hallett credits his success to playing on a good line.

“I play pretty good with Kyle Miller. He’s been feeding me the puck and they’ve been going in.”

Pattersonf believes if Hallett hadn’t missed three games in December for a trip to Mexico, he might just have made 100 points.

Hallett has a points-per-game average of 3.2. Doing the math on five games (three for Mexico and the two games left in the season) gives a possible 16 more points. Adding that to the 80 points he now has would put him at 96 points.

Hallett was shut out the last time the Crunch faced the Lions, Jan. 26 on the Eastern Shore, but he did get two assists.

And Hallett is nursing a sprained wrist after crashing into the boards last Sunday in Barrington.

One thing is certain, if he scores or assits at all this weekend, everytime will be a new record.

Check back on NovaNewsNow.com Saturday morning and Monday morning to see what the new NSJRCHL records are.