Warriors Edge Miners 2–1 in Shootout Thriller

Warriors Edge Miners 2–1 in Shootout Thriller 

MEMBERTOU, N.S. – It took sixty minutes of regulation, five minutes of overtime and a shootout to determine a winner Friday night, as the Membertou Warriors edged the Glace Bay Miners 2–1 in a tightly contested Nova Scotia Senior Hockey League matchup at Membertou Arena.

Despite a combined 27 shots in the opening period, neither team could find the back of the net.

Membertou held a slight 15–12 advantage in shots through the opening twenty minutes, but both goaltenders were up to the challenge, keeping the contest scoreless heading into the first intermission.

The Miners finally broke through early in the second period, taking advantage of a power-play opportunity after Warriors forward Dustin Sudds was assessed a high-sticking minor. Just 37 seconds into the man advantage, Jarrad Struthers opened the scoring at the 5:11 mark, converting a setup from Jeff Deruelle and Branden Dauphinee to give Glace Bay a 1–0 lead. The goal provided the Miners with some momentum, but the Warriors continued to generate offensive pressure throughout the middle frame. Membertou outshot Glace Bay 17–11 in the second period, bringing its two-period total to 32 shots. Despite the sustained pressure, the Miners carried their narrow one-goal advantage into the final twenty minutes. 

With time beginning to become a factor in the third period, the Warriors continued searching for the equalizer. Their persistence finally paid off at the 9:51 mark when Tuma Simon found the back of the net, finishing a play set up by Ashton Paul to bring Membertou even at 1–1. Both teams had opportunities to break the deadlock down the stretch, but neither could capitalize, sending the contest into overtime.

The extra period belonged to the Warriors in terms of offensive pressure.

Membertou registered all five shots in overtime, while Glace Bay was unable to generate a shot on goal. However, the Miners held firm defensively, forcing the game to a shootout with the score still tied at one.

In the opening round, Sudds stepped up for Membertou and converted his opportunity, putting the Warriors ahead after Jarrad Struthers was unable to score for Glace Bay. Simon followed in the second round, adding to his earlier game-tying goal by converting his shootout attempt. With Branden Dauphinee also unable to score for the Miners, Membertou secured the 2–1 victory.

The story of the night was undoubtedly the outstanding performance of Glace Bay netminder Cody Smith, who turned aside an incredible 51 of the 52 shots he faced to keep the Miners in this one. Smith was particularly impressive in the third period and overtime, stopping all 19 shots he faced during those final 25 minutes, including five in the extra frame, to give his team an opportunity in the shootout. 

At the other end, Membertou goaltender Conor McCollum was equally dependable when called upon, turning aside 29 of 30 shots to backstop the Warriors to victory. McCollum remained composed throughout the contest, allowing only a second-period power-play goal before shutting the door the rest of the way. He then denied both Glace Bay shooters in the shootout to secure the extra point for Membertou.

While the Warriors ultimately came away with the victory, the exceptional goaltending at both ends was the defining storyline in a game where scoring opportunities were plentiful, but goals were extremely difficult to come by.

Final score:  Membertou 2, Glace Bay 1