Bearcats defeat Penguins 6-1 in Game 1

Bearcats Take Game 1 with 6–1 Win Over Penguins

Lantz, NS – The Truro Bearcats opened the Northumberland Championship Series in dominant fashion Friday night, defeating the East Hants Penguins 6–1 to take an early lead in the best-of-seven matchup.

Truro wasted no time setting the tone, as Merle Putnam struck just 30 seconds into the game for his fifth goal of the postseason, beating Bryan Gillis and giving the Bearcats a dream start.

The Bearcats continued to push in the opening frame. Cam Patton doubled the lead midway through the period, finishing a setup from Colin Campbell. Putnam added his second of the night late in the first, again off a feed from Campbell to give Truro a commanding 3–0 lead after 20 minutes, quieting the home crowd.

Truro extended its advantage in the second period when G. Blackmore capitalized on a rebound opportunity following a missed breakaway by Campbell to make it 4–0. Later in the frame, the Bearcats struck on the power play after Connor Baker was assessed a major penalty. Campbell and Mitch Deruelle executed a quick give-and-go, with Campbell finishing the play to push the lead to 5–0.

East Hants turned to Jett Miller in goal to start the third period, looking for a spark to ignite the Penguins and hopefully salvage some momentum heading into game 2. 

Merle Putnam completed the hat trick in the third period, recording his first career postseason hat trick and bringing his playoff total to seven goals, making the score 6-0 Bearcats with just over a minute to go.

Regan Spears broke up the shutout in the final minute, spoiling what had been a flawless night for Bearcats goaltender Matt Welsh.

Welsh turned aside 34 shots to earn the win for Truro. Gillis made 22 saves in the loss before being replaced in the third period.

Final Score: Truro Bearcats 6, East Hants Penguins 1
Series: Truro leads 1–0

Game 2 is set for Sunday afternoon in Truro.