Alec Campbell has only one thing on his mind heading into the Panther Classic this weekend.

And that's winning the tournament.

The graduating defenceman had his first taste of the Panther Classic high school hockey tournament last year, but unfortunately, the host Glace Bay Panthers didn’t make it to the final.

“I try not to think about that part, but focus more on winning the title (this year),” said Campbell of his final Panther Classic. “We know the feeling of winning a tournament and we hope it’s even better if we can win our own.”

Last month, the Panthers, who currently sit second in the Cape Breton High School Hockey League with a 4-2-2-0 record, captured the Memorial-hosted Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold Hockey Tournament title.

In the championship game, the Panthers edged longtime rival, Riverview Redmen, 4-3 in overtime to claim the Green and Gold championship, revenge for the Redmen eliminating Glace Bay in the Panther Classic semifinal last December.

“We know what it takes to win a tournament championship,” said the 17-year-old defenceman. “We’re going to have to bring that same effort that we brought in the Green and Gold and if we do we should have a good shot at winning.”

This year’s edition of the Panther Classic will kick off on Thursday with all four local teams hitting the ice at the Canada Games Complex on the Cape Breton University campus.

Along with the host Panthers, the four-day tournament will feature local representatives Riverview, Sydney Academy Wildcats and Memorial Marauders.

Meanwhile, the Dr. J.H. Gillis Royals of Antigonish, North Nova Gryphons of New Glasgow, Cobequid Educational Centre Cougars (CEC) of Truro, and Auburn Drive Eagles of Cole Harbour will also compete in the tournament.

Panthers head coach Dwayne Doucet said among the visiting teams, Glace Bay is familiar with CEC and Auburn Drive after playing them earlier this season.

“CEC beat us 3-2 and that game could have gone either way, while the Auburn Drive game was back-and-forth, but they ended up getting the better of us,” said Doucet.

“We haven’t seen Dr. J.H. Gillis or North Nova this season, but we’re certainly going to be watching them this weekend and will know them by the end of the tournament.”

Glace Bay last won the Panther Classic in 2017, defeating the Redmen 2-1 in overtime to capture the title.

The Panthers will begin the quest Thursday for their second Panther Classic title in three years when they face Sydney Academy. Game time is 8 p.m.

“It’s extremely important to win the first game because you want to be able to control your own destiny throughout the tournament,” said Campbell, who serves as the Panthers' captain.

“We’re expecting lots of support from our fans and we know how important the tournament is to the Glace Bay community, so it should be a good weekend.”

“The players are young but have the experience of playing in the tournament last year, so hopefully that experience will show this weekend,” said Doucet, who won the Panther Classic in his first year as the team’s head coach.

“I think they will remember the feeling they had when they won the Green and Gold — we want them to bring that intensity and drive every single game.”

Along with playing Sydney Academy, the Panthers will also face CEC on Friday at 6 p.m., before wrapping up the round robin on Saturday with a game against the Royals at 12 p.m.

During Thursday's game, the Panthers will wear special pink jerseys to honour the memory of four-year-old Jaycee Tracey, who died suddenly after contracting meningococcal septicemia in early May.

“Our motto all season has been positivity, so whenever you can take a horrible situation like that and turn it into something great, it's a good thing,” said Campbell.

The semifinals are slated for Saturday at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., while the championship game will be held Sunday at 1 p.m.

SCHEDULE

2019 Panther Classic High School Hockey Tournament

Canada Games Complex, Sydney

Division 1 – Glace Bay Panthers, Sydney Academy Wildcats, Dr. J.H. Gillis Royals and Cobequid Educational Centre Cougars (CEC)

Division 2 – Riverview Redmen, Memorial Marauders, Auburn Drive Eagles and North Nova Gryphons

Thursday

• 6 p.m. – Riverview vs. Memorial
• 8 p.m. – Glace Bay vs. Sydney Academy

Friday

• 10 a.m. – CEC vs. J.H. Gillis
• 12 p.m. – Memorial vs. Auburn Drive
• 2 p.m. – Sydney Academy vs. J.H. Gillis
• 4 p.m. – Auburn Drive vs. North Nova
• 6 p.m. – Glace Bay vs. CEC
• 8 p.m. – Riverview vs. North Nova

Saturday

• 8 a.m. – Sydney Academy vs. CEC
• 10 a.m. – Memorial vs. North Nova
• 12 p.m. – Glace Bay vs. J.H. Gillis
• 2 p.m. – Riverview vs. Auburn
• 6 p.m. – First place in Division 1 vs. Second place in Division 2
• 8 p.m. – First place in Division 2 vs. Second place in Division 1

Sunday

• 1 p.m. – Championship game
•  

The Riverview Redmen remain undefeated in Cape Breton High School Hockey League regular season play. 

The Redmen edged the Glace Bay Panthers 2-1 in overtime at the Canada Games Complex on the Cape Breton University Campus on Sunday.

Chase Sampson scored twice, including the overtime winner, for the Redmen.

David Beaton had the lone goal for the Panthers. 

Cape Breton High School Hockey League action reumes on Wednesday with the Sydney Academy Wildcats hosting the Memorial Marauders at 7 p.m. at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre.

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Nathaniel Fuller scored a hat trick in regulation time for the Redmen

NORTH SYDNEY – There was no shortage of drama as the Glace Bay Panthers claimed the 2019 Mae Kibyuk Green and Gold hockey tournament with a 4-3 overtime victory over the two-time defending champion Riverview Redmen.

The longtime rivals and recent powerhouses of Cape Breton high school hockey resumed acquaintances in Sunday’s championship game at the Emera Centre Northside after each team won their semifinal matches on Saturday evening.

Riverview opened the scoring in the first period on a by Nathaniel Fuller, but the Panthers clawed back with a second period equalizer off the stick of Jarrett Hicks and a go-ahead goal later in the frame by Xavier Johnson. However, the lead would be short-lived as the Redmen’s Curtis Novak knotted the affair just a minute later.

The game remained tied until late in the third period when Johnson scored his second goal of the game to give Glace Bay the lead. But the drama was far from over. With just 10 seconds remaining in regulation time Fuller notched his second of the game to tie it up.

The matter was then decided when Liam Burke scored the tournament-winning goal in overtime with the assist credited to Johnson.

Glace Bay earned their ticket in the final after trouncing the host Memorial Marauders 7-1 with goals going to Xavier Johnson, David Beaton, Adam Hicks, Matthew Crane, Mitchell Hiscock, Alec Campbell and Connor MacIntyre. Jacob Jessome responded for Memorial.

Riverview defeated Sydney Academy 5-1 in the other semifinal. Fuller had two goals for the Redmen, while single tallies were recorded by AJ Ley, Liam Robertson and Sam MacKinnon. Dante Basque scored for Sydney.

The Prince Andrew Panthers, Dalbrae Dragons, SAERC Saints and the JL Ilsely Judges also took part in the four-day annual competition.

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NORTH SYDNEY, N.S. — Action continued at the Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold Hockey Tournament action at the Emera Centre Northside on Friday.
The first game of the day saw Riverview defeat Dalbrae 4-1. Scorers for Riverview include Kendall MacQueen, Chase Sampson and Nathan Fuller with two. Jayden Muise had the loan marker for Dalbrae. Josh Leudy took the win in goal for Riverview with 30 saves while Boyd MacIntyre suffered the loss for Dalbrae.
It was Sydney Academy over SAERC in the second game of the day with a final score of 4-3. Sydney Academy scorers included Connor Campbell, Justin Thistle, Ashten Dawson and Zach Gunn. Daniel MacGillivrary had the win in nets with 13 saves while Brady Pelrine took the loss with 23 shots. SAERC scorers included Brady MacNeil with two and Brady White with one.
Prince Andrew went against Dalbrae in the afternoon with Prince Andrew emerging victorious with a score of 2-1. Prince Andrew scorers included Luke MacDonald and Ty Doucette. Braydon Moss registered the win and stopped 14 shots on goal. Jaydon Muise scored Dalbrae's lone goal. Eric MacIsaac suffered the loss with 21 shot on goal.
In later games through the day, J.L. Ilsley went against SAERC, Glace Bay played Prince Andrew and Memorial took on J.L. Ilsley in the day’s final match. No further information was available on those final scores as of press time.