Penguins clinch first place with win over Pipers.

Final Score: East Hants Penguins 4, Pictou County Shoreline Pipers 1

Photo Credits - Nick Gaines Photography

PICTOU - The East Hants Penguins capped off a milestone night in Pictou on Saturday, clinching first place in the Northumberland Division with a convincing 4–1 road victory over the Shoreline Pipers.

East Hants came out flying and opened the scoring at 6:51 of the first period when Regan Spears buried his 13th of the season, finishing off a setup from Andrew Shewfelt and Taylor Burke to give the Penguins a 1–0 lead after one. The visitors controlled the pace early, piling up 19 first-period shots.

The Penguins blew the game open in the second with two quick strikes. Jimmy Scullion notched his 5th of the season at 8:56, converting feeds from Jordan Wentzell and Regan Spears. Just 40 seconds later, Taylor Burke extended the lead to 3–0 with his league-leading 16th of the year, again set up by Andrew Shewfelt. East Hants dominated through two periods, holding a commanding 38–15 edge in shots.

Alex Roode struck early in the third period with his fourth of the season, finishing a play from Jimmy Scullion to push the Penguins ahead 4–0. The Pipers continued to battle and found a late goal from Ted McGeen, who scored his 6th of the season as part of a late push for a comeback. However, Penguins goaltender Bryan Gillis shut the door the rest of the way, turning aside 37 shots to earn his second win of the season and preserve the 4–1 final.

Despite the loss, Shoreline netminder Andrew Macleod was busy all night, facing 52 shots and making 48 saves in a strong effort.

With the win, the Penguins officially clinch first place in the Northumberland Division, confirming the divisional playoff matchups. Dates and times for the upcoming playoff series will be announced at a later date.