SYDNEY, N.S. — Christian Jackson led the Glace Bay Panthers with a pair of goals in a 5-2 win over the Memorial Marauders in the opening game of their Cape Breton High School Hockey League playoff series, Tuesday.

Connor McIntyre, James Hayes and team captain Cameron Yates also struck for the second-place Panthers in front of about 200 fans at the Canada Games Complex. Trenton Gove finished with three assists, while Yates also chipped in two helpers.

Evan Hiscock scored both goals for the third-place Marauders. Hiscock scored short-handed with only 59 seconds left in the first period to open the scoring, but the Panthers replied with three goals in the middle stanza.

In goal, Nick Bigley turned aside 18 shots for the win, while Spencer Shebib deflected 32 pucks sent his way in the loss.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series will be played Thursday at the Emera Centre Northside in North Sydney starting at 7:10 p.m. The series winner will play the first-place Riverview Redmen for the league championship.

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COXHEATH, N.S. — A long-standing high school hockey tournament with a rich tradition will mark its 40th edition this weekend.

The Red Cup Showcase is back on the ice after the tournament was cancelled in 2017 during the teachers’ work to rule job action. The importance of the event’s return wasn’t lost on Riverview Redmen team captain Josh MacKay, a Grade 12 student playing in his final Red Cup tournament.

“It’s really exciting. The guys are really pumped up,” said the 17-year-old from Sydney River. “Especially with a lot of rookies on the team who didn’t get to play yet with it being postponed last year, it’s going to be really exciting.

“The fans will be pumped up. There’s a lot of hype around the school about it.”

The inaugural Red Cup was played in 1978 and was won by Sydney Academy, the first of seven straight tournament victories for the blue and white. The host Redmen have won their event eight times, and are looking to win their first title since winning three straight from 2011 to 2013. The Glace Bay Panthers enter as the defending champions, winning back-to-back Red Cups in 2015 and 2016.

“The fans are just insane. There are so many people around, it’s unreal,” said MacKay. “I think there’s going to be a lot more people here this year with it being cancelled last year. Around the community, it’s going to be bigger and people are more excited to come and watch.”

The Redmen will be joined in the Red Division by the Mathieu-Martin Matadors of Dieppe, N.B., L’Odyssee Olympiens of Moncton and the Millwood Knights of Middle Sackville. The White Division includes Glace Bay, Memorial, Harrison Trimble Trojans of Moncton and the Halifax West Warriors.

The host Redmen finished atop the Cape Breton High School Hockey League standings with a 12-2-1-1 record and have earned a first-round bye in the upcoming league playoffs. Riverview captured the Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold tournament back in November and reached the final in two others: the Panther Classic in December and the Moncton Classic in early January.

“We have a good group. We have a realistic shot at it,” said Redmen head coach Jimmy Smits, in his first season behind the bench. “When we went to Moncton, we played seven games in three or four days and got the final with the best teams the Maritimes had to offer. We played some really good hockey up there.

“The format here, we have no room for error. If you have a bad game, you’re not winning it.”

The tournament was set to openThursday night but due to school cancellations and exams, Thursday’s games will now be played on Saturday.

The Red Cup opens on Friday afternoon at the County Recreation Centre in Coxheath. The host Redmen open play against Mathieu-Martin at 7:30 p.m. Round-robin play runs all day Saturday.

The teams with the best record in each division advance to the final on Sunday at 3 p.m., which will follow the consolation at 1 p.m.

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Red Cup Past Champions

2016 – Glace Bay Panthers

2015 – Glace Bay Panthers

2014 – King’s Edgehill

2013 – Riverview Redmen

2012 – Riverview Redmen

2011 – Riverview Redmen

2010 – King’s Edgehill

2009 – Glace Bay Panthers

2008 – Riverview Redmen

2007 – Dr. J.H. Gillis Royals

2006 – Memorial Marauders

2005 – King’s Edgehill

2004 – Riverview Redmen

2003 – Glace Bay Panthers

2002 – Millwood Knights

2001 – King’s Edgehill

2000 – Riverview Redmen

1999 – Glace Bay Panthers

1998 – King’s Edgehill

1997 – King’s Edgehill

1996 – King’s Edgehill

1995 – Auburn Eagles

1994 – King’s Edgehill

1993 – C.P. Allen Cheetahs

1992 – Riverview Redmen

1991 – Moncton High

1990 – C.P. Allen Cheetahs

1989 – St. Jeromes

1988 – Riverview, N.B.

1987 – Mathieu Martin

1986 – Mathieu Martin

1985 – Riverview Redmen

1984 – Sydney Academy

1983 – Sydney Academy

1982 – Sydney Academy

1981 – Sydney Academy

1980 – Sydney Academy

1979 – Sydney Academy

1978 – Sydney Academy

40th Red Cup Showcase

Red Division – Riverview Redmen, Mathieu-Martin Matadors, L’Odyssee Olympiens, Millwood Knights

White Division – Glace Bay Panthers, Memorial Marauders, Harrison Trimble Trojans, Halifax West Warriors

COXHEATH, N.S. - Brandon Grant’s hat trick helped power the Riverview Redmen to a 10-0 win over the Memorial Marauders in Cape Breton High School Hockey League action at the Cape Breton County Recreation Centre, Friday.

With the win, the Redmen head into the Christmas break with a 10-2-1-0 record, leading the three-team league with 30 points, followed by the Glace Bay Panthers (8-3-1-0) and the Marauders (1-12-0-0).

Riverview opened the scoring at 7:27 of the first period with Grant firing a shot past Memorial netminder Gavin Rudderham.

The hometown Redmen poured on the offense late in the opening frame with three goals in 19 seconds by Blake Cox on the power play, Brady MacLean and Jacob Denny, giving Riverview a 4-0 lead after 15 minutes.

In the second period, Riverview added to their lead with goals coming off the stick of Dustin Sudds, Andrew MacCarron and Grant on the power play, making the score 6-0.
The Redmen would find the back of the net three more times in the final stanza with a power play goal from Grant to complete the hat trick, followed by shorthanded markers from Dylan MacDonald and Denny.

Michael MacMullin stopped all 16 shots he faced for Riverview. Rudderham stopped 13 of 19 shots before being replaced by Spencer Shebib, who turned aside 42 of 46 shots in relief for Memorial. Rudderham was tagged with the loss.

In Cape Breton West High School Hockey League action, the Dalbrae Dragons edged the Inverness/Baddeck Rebels 4-3 at the Dr. Bernie MacLean Recreation Centre in Inverness, Friday. Goal scoring information was not available at press time.

Cape Breton High School Hockey League action continues next week when the Marauders host the Redmen on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. at the Emera Centre Northside in North Sydney.
Meanwhile, Cape Breton West High School Hockey League action resumes Friday with Inverness/Baddeck hosting the NDA/CBHA Huskies at 7 p.m. in Inverness, and the Eskasoni Coyotes facing Dalbrae at 7 p.m. at the Al MacInnis Sports Centre in Port Hood.

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NORTH SYDNEY, N.S. — Dustin Sudds fired a hat trick to lead the Riverview Redmen to a convincing 8-1 win over the Memorial Marauders in Cape Breton High School Hockey League play Thursday at the Emera Centre Northside.

Sudds opened the scoring in the first period and scored Riverview’s final two goals of the game in the third to further pad the lead. The league’s leading scorer now has 20 goals on the season, and leads the three-team league with 24 points.

Andrew McCarron, Brad Barrie, Logan Beaton, Josh MacKay and Blake Cox rounded out the attack for the Redmen (7-1-2-0-1), who move into a tie for first place in the standings with the Glace Bay Panthers.

Evan Hiscock replied with a third-period goal for the host Marauders, who fell to 1-0-11-0-0 with the loss.

Michael MacMullen made 11 saves in the win between the pipes. Gavin Rudderham was busy making 35 saves in the loss.

Friday at the County Recreation Centre in Coxheath, the Redmen host the Panthers at 7:15 p.m. The Redmen will accept donations of non-perishable food items at the game for Loaves and Fishes. Admission for students is $1 with a food donation.

Sunday, Glace Bay hosts Riverview at the Canada Games Complex, a 7 p.m. start.

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When Christian Jackson scored in overtime, there was no doubting what it meant to the Glace Bay Panthers and their fans.

Immediately following the dramatic goal, the Panthers players, to a man, raced to the area in front of where their most passionate supporters had camped out throughout the four-day 2017 Panther Classic high school hockey tournament.

And there they celebrated the team’s 2-1 sudden-death victory over the Riverview Redmen in the annual competition’s championship game.

“This is awesome and it’s great that we won and just having everyone here, it’s just great for the school,” said a grinning Jackson, who like his teammates sported red-dyed hair as a sign of unity and school allegiance.

As the hero of the hour, Jackson had every right to smile. And, so did his teammates.

With an enthusiastic crowd of about 300 looking on, Jackson opened the scoring late in the first period when the puck found its way on to his stick as he stood unchecked in front of the Riverview cage. He then slammed it into the back of the net past a sprawling Owen MacPhee before leaping into the air in celebration.

“That was just emotion, pure emotion,” said Jackson, who raised his stick high in triumph following his first-period goal.

The importance of the goal grew as the game progressed and neither side was able to turn on the red light. Both Riverview’s MacPhee Glace Bay’s Cody Smith came up big time after time with huge saves to keep the game tight.

Then, with just 43 seconds left in regulation and MacPhee on the bench in favour of an extra attacker, the Redmen’s Jacob Denny scored to knot the contest and silence the pro-Panthers crowd at the Canada Games Complex.

Then came overtime.

It didn’t take long before Jackson’s wraparound secured the victory and sent Glace Bay players and fans alike into a frenzied celebration.

For the Panthers, it was a storybook ending, especially after losing 3-0 to Riverview in the final of this year’s Memorial-hosted Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold tournament. For the Redmen, it was disappointing. But players from both teams can be proud to have played in one of the most exciting Cape Breton high school hockey games in recent years.

The two local schools now look forward to the Riverview-hosted Red Cup in February.

This year’s Panther Classic also featured the Memorial Marauders, Sackville Kingfishers, Hants East Tigers, Auburn Eagles and the Truro-based Cobequid Education Centre Cougars.

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SYDNEY, N.S. — The Glace Bay Panthers got off to a roaring start as they opened play in their annual Panther Classic high school hockey tournament Thursday.

Dylan McDonald potted the hat trick in a lopsided 5-1 win over the Memorial Marauders at the Canada Games Complex. The home team had the Marauders back on their heels from the opening faceoff, forcing multiple turnovers in the visiting team’s end. Despite being badly outshot, Marauders goalie Spencer Shebib kept his team in it early until McDonald opened scoring with 3:13 left in the opening frame. Defenceman Brandon Boutilier scored what ended up being the game-winner 20 seconds later and then assisted on Cameron Yates’ powerplay marker to close out the period. McDonald tickled the twine twice in the second, including a short-handed goal with less than two minutes left.

Matthew Williams scored the lone Marauders goal, beating goalie Nick Bigley midway through the final period.

The Panthers outshot the Marauders 32-9, with Bigley picking up the win and Shebib shouldering the loss.

Earlier in the evening, the Riverview Redmen beat the Hants East Tigers 3-0 to open tournament play. Jacob Denny paced the Redmen with a pair of goals, while Dustin Sudds also found the back of the net. Goalie Owen McPhee turned aside all 15 shots he faced to pick up the shutout while Austin Shields stopped 32 of 35 pucks sent his way in the loss.

The Panther Classic continues Friday with six games at the Canada Games Complex. The Auburn Drive Eagles face the Cobequid Education Centre Cougars at 10 a.m., followed by the Sackville Kingfishers and Memorial at noon, Hants East and Glace Bay at 2 p.m., Riverview and the Auburn Drive Eagles at 4 p.m., Memorial and Cobequid Education Centre at 6 p.m., and Glace Bay and Sackville at 8 p.m.

Saturday, Auburn Drive takes on Hants East at 10 a.m., Cobequid Education Centre plays Glace Bay at noon, and Sackville and Riverview hit the ice at 2 p.m. The semifinals start at 6 p.m. with the No. 1 team taking on No. 4, followed by No. 2 vs. No. 3 at 8 p.m.

The championship game is set for Sunday at 1 p.m.

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