Keith’s collapse in the third

By Jonathan Riley

DIGBY COURIER

NovaNewsNow.com

Clare is one win away from eliminating the Keith’s.

The Lions lead the best-of-five Nova Scotia Junior C Western semi finals 2-0 after winning a 5-1 battle in Digby Sunday afternoon, Feb. 17.

Keith’s coach Jim Verran says the score doesn’t tell the whole story.

“It was a 2-1 game with six minutes left,” says Verran. “I was quite pleased with the effort the boys put into it.

“They played a full 50 minutes. They were focused and working hard. With Clare though, if you give up a few little chances, they have the guys to make you pay.”

Clare’s Marc MacIntosh scored the first goal only three minutes into the game.

The next goal, and the Keith’s only one of the night, didn’t come until a minute into the third. Keith’s midget affiliate Andrew Walker trapped a puck along the boards and passed it into the corner to Cody White who found Tyler Robertson in front.

That was White’s third point of the playoffs. He has 10 points in the last four games with at least a point in each.

Both teams played a hard hitting smash and bang style with lots of shoving and mid-ice hits.

Clare picked up four minutes in elbowing penalties, a misconduct for roughing and a game misconduct for hitting from behind.

Marcel Landry’s check crumpled Valley’s affiliate Andrew Maxwell against the boards. The refs stopped the play so Maxwell could be helped to the bench – he returned to play after a short rest.

Valley’s Tristan Tobin served two minutes for roughing Clare goalie Jeremy McKinnon six and a half minutes into the third. McKinnon left the game and was replaced by Alain Savoie, who only saw two shots in the remaining 13 minutes.

McKinnon made 28 saves on 29 shots.

Keith’s goalie Steve Morse made 30 of 35 saves.

Two of Clare’s penalties happened only 15 seconds apart giving Valley a five-on-three for 1:45 early in the third.

“We had good puck movement but our guys didn’t really seem to want to stand in front of the net,” says Verran. “With a five-on-three you need traffic in front to make things happen.”

Luc Thibodeau scored the winner for Clare, a quick wrist shot high under the bar, eight minutes into the third with an assist from Ryan Gallant.

Valley looked poised to tie it up until the wheels fell off her with six minutes to go.

Jacques Lombard got two quick goals at 5:47 and 5:33. On the first, he caught the Valley defence flat-footed and outskated them to a loose puck leaving him alone in front of Morse.

Twelve seconds later Lombard rushed the net and caught Morse sprawling. Glen LeBlanc made it 5-1 with a flukey trickler with three minutes to go.

Verran says the Keith’s are not making it easy for the Lions.

“Clare knows these games could go either way. This was a hard fought game and I expect the same down in Clare on Friday.

“We’re not going down there to lay down and give up. We want to win Friday and stretch it to Saturday and bring it back here [Digby].”

Game three goes Friday, Feb.22, at 9:30 p.m. at the Université Sainte-Anne arena in Church Point.

Clare expects to be finished renovations that will allow them to host 500 fans instead of the current 350. There were at least 500 in Digby Sunday.

Game four if needed is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23 at the Digby arena.