Valley girls to play on provincial ice

By Sara Keddy

NovaNewsNow.com

Valley teams will represent the Western Region at the Nova Scotia female high school championships at the end of the month.

Middleton went into regionals March 6 and 7, which it hosted in Berwick, as the top seed, but a late challenge by Kings Edgehill upset the order.

“We finished the top in the Valley league on standings,” said during the first game of the tournament between Central Kings and West Kings. “Barrington won the South Shore league.”

Central Kings, West Kings and Avon View were set to come out of the Valley for regionals - until KES challenged fourth-seed Avon View under NSSAF rules for their berth.

“KES played tournaments and some city league games,” Middleton coach Greg Gillis said, “and they are allowed to challenge the last place team for the play-off spot. They pounded Avon View.”

Gillis acknowledged that his Middleton squad lost 7-4 to KES at an earlier Christmas match-up, and faced a new regional draw with both KES and Parkview in its pool, when it had expected a first game pairing with Avon View.

In Pool A, KES did in fact beat Middleton 3-0 and then Parkview 7-0 to come out top of the pool. Middleton beat Parkview 8-3.

In Pool B, West Kings beat Central Kings 8-0 in the tournament opener, and Barrington won out over C.K. 4-3. West Kings came out on top after an 8-6 win over Barrington.

Kings Edgehill met Barrington in semi-final A, coming out on top 5-3. Middleton beat West Kings 4-0 to win semi-final B.

West Kings took third place with a 6-3 win over Barrington.

In the final, KES and Middleton battled to a 2-2 tie in three periods, with KES winning 1-0 in a shootout to head out of the Western Region number one. Middleton goes as second seed.

Provincials are March 28 and 29, hosted by the Inverness Education Centre in Cape Breton. KES and Middleton advance from regionals, while West Kings plays a city team for an open berth.