The Digby Mariners lost 8-4 to the Central Kings Gators in high school hockey action in Digby Saturday night, Dec. 15.
The Mariners started strong jumping out to a 2-0 lead.
Digby captain Myles Creighton scored first barely two minutes into the game with an assist from Bradley O’Neil.
O’Neil got Digby’s second near the half way mark of the first with an assist from Marco Pernigo.
Brett Wagner scored Central King’s first goal a couple minutes later set up by assistant captain Kieran Collins.
Jacob Shepherd scored next for the visitors, tieing it up to close out the first period.
The Gators went ahead 4-2 in the second with goals from Jordan Rockwell and another from Shepherd. Collins assisted on all four of the Gators goals to this point in the game.
Creighton got the Mariner’ only goal of the second in dramatic fashion; Noah Thomas set him up off the face off.
It was still anybody’s game at this point.
But Jacque German scored for the Gators and Collins added a goal to his already impressive scoring stats. 6-3 for the Valley team at the end of the second.
Shepherd started the third period with a quick solo effort and Wagner, who scored the Gators’ first also scored their last.
Thomas scored for Digby with just a minute left but that would be it for scoring: 8-4 Central Kings.
Devin Parrish played all 60 minutes in nets for the Gators. Krista Eaton played almost all of the first 40 – but came out with a couple minutes left in the second after six shots snuck by her. Bryceon Wade finished out the game between the pipes for Digby.
The Gators are now six points ahead of the Mariners in the Valley High School Hockey League standings, though the Gators have played two more games than Digby.
The Mariners play at home again tomorrow Sunday, Dec. 16 at 1 p.m. against the Middleton Monarchs.
The Mariners were leading the last place Monarchs by just three points heading into the weekend action.
jriley@digbycourier.ca
