The East Hants Penguins tallied a power play marker in the dying minutes of their Dec. 1 match up with the Valley Maple Leafs to win it 5-4.
For fans, it was a game filled with second chances and senseless penalties.
The teams played a scoreless first. The second period opened with the Penguins' captain and sharp-shooter Marc Thibodeau firing one past Leafs netminder Mitch Culley. Assists went to Jamie Sweet and Nicholas Doucet.
Within a matter of minutes, the Leafs, led by Jory Uhlman and assisted by Colin Gillis and Dylan Lowthers, tied it up.
East Hants responded within four minutes to go ahead 2-1 with a goal by Cole MacDonell, from Cody Anthony and Daniel Keayes.
Windsor's Mark Swain, with his fifth goal of the season, tied things up. Assists went to David Hayes and Kyle Kavanagh.
There was no more scoring for the remaining half of the second period.
Swain was ready to score again for the Leafs when they took the ice in the third period, doing so unassisted, at 2:20.
Thibodeau then tied the game up after being fed the puck from Kyle Ritchie and Doucet.
Forward Trevor Thorne then scored to put the East Hants squad ahead 4-3.
With the clock ticking away, the Leafs received two minor penalties, leaving them severely shorthanded. Uhlman, on a breakaway, potted one to put the game within reach for the Leafs. However, just seconds letter, still on the power play, Sweet, assisted by Doucet, tallied to win it for the Pens.
Shots on net were evenly paced, with Culley, who was tagged with the loss, facing 42 while Jason Ellis, who earned the win, faced 40.
Valley Maple Leafs Head Coach Josh Dill said penalties really hurt their chances.
“I didn't think we played well at all. We took a lot of stupid penalties,” said Dill in an interview following the loss. “We weren't prepared and we weren't ready to play the game.”
The Valley squad received a total of 20 minutes in penalties – all minors; all for moves like elbowing, slashing, high-sticking and hooking.
Elks down Leafs 5-2
Earlier in the week, on Nov. 27, the Leafs visited the Brookfield Elks' stomping grounds and were defeated 5-2.
Goal scorers for the Leafs were New Germany's Josh Crouse and Delhaven's David Hayes. Assists went to Jake Galbraith and Craig Anderson.
“We had a few issues Tuesday night,” said Dill. “We played a good hockey game but had a few bad turnovers and the puck just wouldn't go in for us.”
The Valley Maple Leafs are scheduled to be back in action Monday, Dec. 3, in Sackville. They will return to home ice, playing at Acadia University, on Friday, Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m. for a rematch with the Elks.
