SYDNEY, N.S. — The Riverview Redmen and Glace Bay Panthers battled it out in regular-season play, the championship game in two different tournaments and squared off in the Highland Region championship series.

This weekend, they’ll meet at least one more time at the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation Division 1 boys hockey championship at the BMO Centre in Bedford. The teams open play against each other on Friday at 11:45 a.m.

“We had a really great series with Glace Bay and it was good hockey,” Redmen head coach Jim Smith said of their playoffs with the Panthers. “Every game was tight … It was good, solid, hard hockey each way.”

The Redmen bested the Panthers in six games in a tightly contested best-of-seven Highland Region championship series. Riverview defeated Glace Bay in the final of the Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold Tournament back in November, but the Panthers returned the favour in the final of the Panther Classic in December. Now, the rivals will see competition from the best in the province.

Riverview and Glace Bay will compete in Pool ‘A’ at the NSSAF championship along with the Halifax West Warriors — who defeated the Redmen in the final of the Red Cup Showcase in February — and the Citadel Phoenix of Halifax. Pool ‘B’ features the Cobequid Education Centre Cougars of Truro, Horton Griffins of Wolfville, Millwood Knights of Middle Sackville and the C.P. Allen Cheetahs of Bedford.

Smith said his Redmen squad has had some great chemistry, with a mix of veteran and rookie players. Dustin Sudds finished as the league scoring champion with 31 points (26 goals, five assists) in 16 games. Jake MacDonald, captain Josh MacKay and Andrew McCarron also scored at an over a point-per-game pace, while veteran goaltender Owen MacPhee and rookie standout Michael MacMullen have been a one-two punch between the pipes all season.

“We have a great group that gets along well on and off the ice,” said Smith. “We had some kids who have come along in the second half and everybody started chipping in.”

The Panthers took the long road to provincials but earned a spot with a 5-0 win over the North Nova Gryphons of New Glasgow in a qualifier game on Monday at the Canada Games Complex.

Panthers head coach Dwayne Doucet said it’s been the team’s defensive play that’s carried them this season. The club is backstopped in goal by the tandem of Cody Smith and Nick Bigley, while three players — Cameron Yates, Trenton Gove and Christian Jackson — finished as three of the top four scorers in the league.

“We’ve played a couple of those teams. We played Halifax West at the Red Cup and lost 1-0 in overtime, so that game could have went either way. We play them on Friday in our second game,” said Doucet. “Citadel, we played them twice and both games were really close.

“I think it’s going to be what team wants it more and what team is hungrier.”

The top two teams in each pool following round-robin play advance to the semifinals Saturday at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The semifinal winners will meet in the final on Sunday at 1 p.m.

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NSSAF Division 1 Boys Hockey Championship

BMO Centre, Bedford

Pool ‘A’ – Halifax West, Riverview, Citadel, Glace Bay

Pool ‘B’ – C.E.C., Horton, Millwood, C.P. Allen

Cape Breton teams schedule

Friday

11:45 a.m. – Riverview vs. Glace Bay

5:30 p.m. – Riverview vs. Citadel

8:15 p.m. – Halifax West vs. Glace Bay

Saturday

10 a.m. – Riverview vs. Halifax West

10:15 a.m. – Citadel vs. Glace Bay

6 p.m. – Semifinal (1st Pool ‘A’ vs. 2nd Pool ‘B’)

8 p.m. – Semifinal (1st Pool ‘B’ vs. 2nd Pool ‘A’)

Sunday

1 p.m. – Championship