An Avon River Rats player channeled the ability of former NHL great Darryl Sittler when the Windsor-based team took to the ice Jan. 14.
Justin MacLellan tallied six goals and recorded four assists as the Avon River Rats defeated the hapless Cumberland-Colchester Colts 11-7.
Sittler’s 10-point achievement occurred Feb. 7, 1976, when he set an NHL record that still stands today.
While observers at the Hants Exhibition Arena could not confirm 100 per cent that it was a Nova Scotia Regional Junior Hockey League record, many in attendance were convinced it was.
MacLellan scored once in the second period to tie the game at 4-4 after Cumberland rallied from a 3-1 first period deficit to take a 4-3 lead.
Logan Cleveland with his second of the night made it 5-4 River Rats before the closing of the second period. The third period was all MacLellan as he scored four consecutive goals within 5:46 to put Avon up 9-4. After the Colts scored, MacLellan tallied his fifth goal of the period.
Cleveland scored his third of the evening to round out the game’s scoring.
The goals for Cleveland marked his 24th, 25th and 26th of the season.
For MacLellan, the six goals give him 20 on the season.
Nicholas Scott and Kyle Armsworthy were the other goal scorers, as they tallied markers in the first period.
For Armsworthy, who leads the team in scoring, his goal was his 17th of the season. He racked up eight assists to give him 34 assists to date.
Did you know?
As of press time, the River Rats only had five regular season games remaining. Unless some dramatic changes occur, it appears the Rats will face off against the 15-5-2-0 Eastern Shore Thunder in the opening round of the playoffs.
The River Rats are currently in second place with an 18-9-0-0 record but have played five more games than the Thunder and three more than the Spryfield Attack.
The Rats were scheduled to play in Spryfield ( 21-1-0-1) on Jan. 20 and will return home Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. for a game against the Thunder. They will then host the East Hants Ryson Construction Penguins at 7 p.m. Jan. 28.
