Both teams have been battling for a post-season playoff position and the Keith’s have now beaten the Wild twice this year.
The Junior C Keith’s were playing in their home rink against a very short-benched Wild squad of only eight players, and came out strong, with Eric Cook scoring at 11:38 of the first period, assisted by Tristan Reede.
With the Wild shorthanded, the Keith’s dominated the first period, and Caleb d’Entremont added a second goal less than two minutes into the middle frame at 13:14.
Assists went to Colan Cromwell and Nick Bent.
Though the scoresheet doesn’t show it, Keith’s players should also have been given assists on the next two goals, both scored by the Wild.
The Keith’s play grew increasingly sloppy—their Hyde face—and their passes all seemed to wind up on Wild sticks.
The Wild players also were thriving on all their ice time.
In contrast, the Keith’s 11-1 loss the previous day to Harbour Crunch in Musquodoboit seemed to have come back to haunt them.
Things didn’t improve early in the third period when the Wild’s Justin Hanley beat Keith’s goalie Steve Morse and put the South Shore team into a 3-2 lead.
Watching from behind the Wild net, Keith’s spokesman Justin Wood shook his head and said it was only solid goaltending by Morse that had kept the Digby team close through the second half of the game.
Tyler Robertson brought the home team back into the fray with a goal at 5:41, assisted by Eric Cook and Devon Bezanson, and then Eric Banks scored for the Keith’s at 1:28, and the game looked to be over for the hard-pressing Wild.
Banks’ goal was assisted by new recruit Jessie Bent.
But the Wild turned to the old, seldom reliable strategy of hauling the goalie for a sixth attacker and gave it new life by scoring with 35 seconds left, tieing the game at 4.
A five-minute overtime period with four skaters a side was scoreless and a five-man shootout resulted in a further two goals apiece, bringing the score to 6-6.
In a sudden death shootout, the Wild’s first shooter was wide of the net and the Keith’s Tyler Robertson pulled Wild goalie Smith out of the net and left an easy target for the win.
OT win for Valley Keith's
OT win for Valley Keith's
South Shore Wild puts up spirited battle with eight skaters
It was a Jekyll and Hyde game for the Valley Keith’s Sunday, but in the end—which came finally in sudden death overtime—the only thing that matters was that the Digby-based team downed South Shore Wild 7-6.
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