Keith’s lose second of series with Lions, 8-3

Still, it was a marked improvement on Saturday night for the young Junior C squad.

The Keith’s were shellacked 14-2 Saturday by Clare Lions in the Université Sainte-Anne arena at Church Point in the first game of a home-and-away series.

The Lions outshot the Keith’s 80 to 20 on Saturday, and for the first period the Keith’s couldn’t get the puck out of their own end.

“They didn’t even have to clean their end of the ice after the first period,” Keith’s coach Geoff Locke ruefully admitted later.

In Digby this afternoon, Lions assistant captain Stephane LeBlanc opened scoring at 5:59, assisted by Ryan Gallant and Marc MacIntosh.

The Keith’s, to roars from the home crowd, responded less than a minute later when Tyler Robertson beat Clare goalie Nick Comeau. The assist went to Devon Bezanson.

Colan Cromwell scored the Keith’s lone goal of the second period, a breakaway while the team was playing a man short because of a tripping penalty. Assists went to Robertson and Mike Mountan.

The second period opened the floodgates for the Lions, who scored four times on Keith’s goalie Chris Hersey, who was as much the victim of an uncoordinated defence.

“We have to work on our back checking away from the puck,” said team captain Eric Cook after the game.

Eric Banks added the third goal of the afternoon for the Keith’s in the final frame, but the Lions, showing a better coordinated attack, were able to add three. MacIntosh had a hat trick for Clare, giving him eight goals against the Keith’s on the weekend. He netted five Saturday.

Jacques Lombard added a pair for Clare, and singles came from LeBlanc, Marc Lombard and Alexander Poirier.

The Keith’s are at home next weekend, playing Yarmouth Saturday at 7 p.m., and South Shore on Sunday at 2 p.m.