Brady MacDonald of the Sydney Academy Wildcats carries the puck in the neutral zone during action at the Blue and White Contractor Cup at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre on Thursday. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST

SYDNEY, N.S. - The annual Sydney Academy Blue and White Contractor Cup high school hockey tournament kicked off on Thursday night at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre.

The host Wildcats were defeated 8-2 by the Riverview Ravens while the Glace Bay Panthers downed the Memorial Marauders 6-1. 

The tournament continues on Friday and runs until Sunday in Membertou.

Jackson Gushue of the Sydney Academy Wildcats looks for the loose puck in front of goaltender Kayden Mollons of the Riverview Ravens during action at the Blue and White Contractor Cup at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre on Thursday. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST - Jeremy


Jaxon MacNamara of the Sydney Academy Wildcats controls the puck in the offensive zone during action at the Blue and White Contractor Cup at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre on Thursday. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST - Jeremy Fraser


Nolan Riley of the Sydney Academy Wildcats, left, throws a hit behind the net during action at the Blue and White Contractor Cup at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre on Thursday. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST - Jeremy Fraser


Jaxon MacNamara of the Sydney Academy Wildcats, left, dumps the puck into the offensive zone during action at the Blue and White Contractor Cup at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre on Thursday. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST - Jeremy Fraser



Dominic Pino of the Sydney Academy Wildcats, right, looks for a pass as he’s chased by Colton MacDougall of the Riverview Ravens during action at the Blue and White Contractor Cup at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre on Thursday. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST - Jeremy Fraser



Charlie Francis of the Sydney Academy Wildcats, right, looks to make a play during action at the Blue and White Contractor Cup at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre on Thursday. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST - Jeremy Fraser



Sydney Academy students cheer on the hometown Wildcats during action at the Blue and White Contractor Cup at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre on Thursday. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST - Jeremy Fraser



Officials attempt to break up a scrum following a whistle in the Sydney Academy zone during action at the Blue and White Contractor Cup at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre on Thursday. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST - Jeremy Fraser



Nolan Neville of the Sydney Academy Wildcats, right, looks towards the net during action at the Blue and White Contractor Cup at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre on Thursday. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST - Jeremy Fraser



Goaltender Brody Campbell of the Sydney Academy Wildcats goes across the crease to make a save as Riverview Ravens’ Rory Mills stands on the doorstep waiting for a rebound during action at the Blue and White Contractor Cup at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre on Thursday. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST - Jeremy Fraser

The Sydney Academy Wildcats will host the annual Blue and White Contractor Cup at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre this week. The Wildcats open the tournament on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against the Riverview Ravens. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST

SYDNEY, N.S. — The Sydney Academy Wildcats are hopeful a healthy roster can help lead them to a championship title in their home tournament this week in Membertou.  

Sydney Academy will enter the annual Blue and White Contractor Cup with a full roster for the first time since mid-November due to suspensions and illness within the club.  

“We have high expectations for this weekend,” said Wildcats head coach Justin Lund, who took over the position from Sheldon Surette this year.  

“The boys have to come to the rink focused and ready to work hard and that’s pretty much what we’ve seen in our local league, the team that comes ready to work hard for a full 45 minutes is the team that wins.”  

The Wildcats sit in last place in the four-team Cape Breton High School Hockey League with a 4-11-0-0 record and eight points back of Memorial Marauders for third place.  

Unlike the Marauders, Glace Bay Panthers and Riverview Ravens, Sydney Academy didn’t participate in the City of Lakes tournament last weekend in Dartmouth.  

Instead, the team used the week off from game action to focus on practice and to work on things Lund believes will make a difference going into the Blue and White tournament.  

“We’ve had lots of practices here in the last couple of weeks and over Christmas and the boys are flying,” said Lund. “We worked on a lot of our special systems and stuff, so the boys are more than ready to play.”  

Sydney Academy Wildcats captain Keagan Corbett prepares to take a shot on goal during Cape Breton High School Hockey League action at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre earlier this season. Corbett powers the offence from the club's blueline, posting five goals and nine points in 15 games. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST - Jeremy Fraser

Joining the Wildcats in the six-team tournament are local representatives Glace Bay, Riverview and Memorial as well as the Hants East Tigers of Milford Station and the Horton Griffins of Wolfville.  

Sydney Academy last played on Dec. 30, losing 7-1 to the Marauders at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre. The team is on a four-game losing streak but will open the Blue and White tournament against the last team they beat – Riverview.  

The longtime rival Wildcats and Ravens will meet on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre. Glace Bay and Memorial will play earlier in the day at 6 p.m. to begin the tournament.  

Blue and White Contractor Cup 

Location: Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre, Membertou
Teams: Sydney Academy Wildcats, Glace Bay Panthers, Hants East Tigers, Memorial Marauders, Riverview Ravens and Horton Griffins 

Schedule

Thursday

•  6 p.m. – Glace Bay vs. Memorial
•  7:30 p.m. – Riverview vs. Sydney Academy

Friday

•  12 p.m. – Riverview vs. Hants East
•  1:30 p.m. – Glace Bay vs. Horton
•  6 p.m. – Memorial vs. Hants East
•  7:30 p.m. – Sydney Academy vs. Horton

Saturday

•  9 a.m. – Hants East vs. Horton
•  10:30 a.m. – Sydney Academy vs. Memorial
•  12 p.m. – Glace Bay vs. Riverview
•  4:30 p.m. – Semifinal
•  6 p.m. – Semifinal

Sunday

•  11 a.m. – Championship Game

“We’re hoping to have a strong start against Riverview because we’ve had a fairly decent record against them this season,” said Lund.  

All four of Sydney Academy’s wins during the regular season have come against Riverview, defeating the Ravens 4-1, 4-0, 2-1 and 6-3 since October.  

The Wildcats will continue the tournament on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Horton before finishing the round-robin on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. against Memorial.  

“We’ve had some tight games off the hop with Memorial, but we’ve struggled a bit with them in the later part of the year,” said Lund, noting the tournament should be well-balanced.  

“We haven’t matched up against Horton this year, but they’re pretty much the same skill level as us, so I think we’ll have three pretty tight games.”  

Horton (9-6-1-0) currently sits in first place in the East Division of the Valley High School Hockey League and second in the overall standings, only behind the Par-en-Bas Sharks. 

Offensively, Charlie Francis leads the way in the regular season with nine goals and 14 points in 13 games. Meanwhile, Jaxon MacNamara and captain Keagan Corbett both have five goals and nine points in 15 games and Anthony Melski has three goals and nine points in 15 games.  

Recent champions

•  2023 – Riverview High School
•  2022 – No Tournament (COVID-19)
•  2021 – No Tournament (COVID-19)
•  2020 – Riverview High School
•  2019 – No Tournament
•  2018 – No Tournament
•  2017 – No Tournament
•  2016 – Woodlawn High School (then known as Prince Andrew High School)
•  2015 – Auburn Drive High School
   

The tournament semifinals are slated for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. The championship game will be played on Sunday at 11 a.m. All games are in Membertou. 

The Cape Breton Post requested an interview with a Sydney Academy player for the story. However, permission to speak with a player was not granted by school and centre for education officials. A reason for the request being denied was not provided. 

- Jeremy Fraser is the sports reporter for the Cape Breton Post. Follow him on X (Twitter) @CBPost_Jeremy. 

SYDNEY, N.S. — The Memorial Marauders and Riverview Ravens capped off the 2023 calendar year with Cape Breton High School Hockey League victories on Saturday. 

For the third time in a week, the Marauders handed the Sydney Academy Wildcats a 7-1 loss at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre.  

Brayden MacDonald and Daniel Young each had a goal and two assists while Davis MacInnis scored twice. Jesse Ross, Kody Hatcher and Sam Gracie also added goals for the Marauders. 

Kenzie Carew had the lone goal for the Wildcats.  

Memorial’s Jack MacPhee made 17 saves. Sydney Academy’s Brody Campbell stopped 19 of 26 shots. 

Meanwhile, in Glace Bay, the Ravens edged the Glace Bay Panthers 6-5 at Miners Forum in Glace Bay. 

Gahan Rector had two goals and two assists – including the game-winner – while Gavin Rector, Rory Mills, Colby Rudderham and Owen Buckley also added goals for the Ravens. 

Hudson Clarke, Cohen McNeil, Morgan Neville, Garrett MacIntosh and Ryan Aucoin replied with goals for the Panthers. 

Riverview’s Kayden Mollons made 33 saves. Glace Bay’s Kristian MacKenzie allowed six goals on 31 shots.  

On Friday night, Glace Bay beat Riverview 5-2 at the Cape Breton County Recreation Centre in Coxheath. 

Glace Bay Panthers. - JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST

ANTIGONISH, N.S. – Fresh off their Panther Classic win last week, the Glace Bay Panthers claimed their third high school hockey tournament championship of the season on Saturday.

Glace Bay downed the Cobequid Educational Centre Cougars of Truro 7-3 to win the Millennium Cup championship at the Antigonish Arena.

Statistics were not provided.

The Panthers secured their spot in the final with a 7-1 win over the Park View Panthers of Bridgewater in the semifinal on Saturday. CEC beat Northumberland in their semifinal 5-1.

In the round robin, Glace Bay beat CEC 3-0. The club also downed North Nova 8-2 and Dartmouth 4-1.

Meanwhile, the Memorial Marauders also competed in the tournament. They posted a 1-1-1 record with a win over Northumberland 4-2, a loss 5-2 to the host Dr. J.H. Gillis, and a 5-5 tie to Park View.

Along with the Millennium Cup and the Panther Classic, Glace Bay also won the Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold Hockey Tournament in North Sydney last month.

- Jeremy Fraser is the sports reporter for the Cape Breton Post. Follow him on X (Twitter) @CBPost_Jeremy.

The Glace Bay Panthers claimed the 2023 Panther Classic high school hockey tournament championship on Sunday, defeating the Dalbrae Dragons 7-2 at Miners Forum in Glace Bay. Members of the team are shown with the championship trophy and banner. Not in order: Ryan Aucoin, Tyson Boland, Jesse Cathcart, Hudson Clarke, Brandon Cole, Joshua Gottwald, Pierce Hutchings, Kale MacDonald, Garrett MacIntosh, Landon MacIsaac, Kristian MacKenzie, Dylan MacLean, Cohen McNeil, C.J. McNeil-Peach, Kyle Nearing, Morgan Neville, Ty Oliver and Dylin White. Team staff: Dwayne Doucet (head coach), Michael Doucet (assistant coach), Jack Summerell (assistant coach), Matt O’Brien (assistant coach) and Bill Smith (trainer). CONTRIBUTED

GLACE BAY, N.S. – The Glace Bay Panthers are once again Panther Classic champions.

The host Glace Bay defeated the Dalbrae Dragons of Mabou 7-2 in the Panther Classic high school hockey championship game in front of a jam-pack crowd at Miners Forum in Glace Bay on Sunday.

The tournament title was the club’s first since 2017. It also marked Glace Bay’s seventh Panther Classic championship win since 1997.

Kale MacDonald and Ty Oliver each scored twice while Kyle Nearing, Tyson Boland and Garrett MacIntosh also added goals for the Panthers.

Ethan MacLean had both goals for the Dragons, a Division 2 team that stunned many by making it to the championship game.

Glace Bay’s Brandon Cole made 15 saves. Dalbrae’s Neil MacLean stopped 30 of 37 shots.

The Panthers outshot the Dragons 37-17 in the contest.

Glace Bay, who finished the tournament with a 4-1 record, earned their spot in the championship game with a 5-3 win over the Halifax West Warriors in the semifinal on earlier in the day on Sunday.

Nearing and MacIntosh both scored twice while Dylin White added a single marker for the Panthers.

Luc Bouffard, Mack Bursey and Brody Fitzpatrick had goals for the Warriors.

Glace Bay’s Cole made 25 saves. Halifax West’s Issac Manette stopped 27 of 29 shots.

Meanwhile, Dalbrae (3-2) edged the Cobequid Educational Centre Cougars of Truro 3-2 in their semifinal game.

Angus Beaton, Kenzie Batherson and Callum Chisholm had the goals for the Dragons.

Alexander Field had both goals for the Cougars.

Dalbrae’s MacLean made 44 saves. CEC’s Bob Williams-Henderson stopped 14 of 17 shots.

Sydney Academy (0-3), Riverview (0-2-1-0) and Memorial (1-2) also competed in the tournament along with the Auburn Drive Eagles of Cole Harbour (2-1).

- Jeremy Fraser is the sports reporter for the Cape Breton Post. Follow him on X (Twitter) @CBPost_Jeremy. 

Kenzie Batherson of the Dalbrae Dragons celebrates after scoring a goal against the Glace Bay Panthers during Panther Classic high school hockey action at Miners Forum in Glace Bay on Friday. Dalbrae won the game 4-2. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST.

GLACE BAY, N.S. – The Dalbrae Dragons shocked fans at Miners Forum in Glace Bay on Friday night.

Dalbrae, a Division 2 team playing in a Division 1 tournament, upset the host Glace Bay Panthers 4-2 to claim their first victory at the Panther Classic high school hockey tournament.

The Dragons, who are currently in second place in the Cape Breton West High School Hockey League with a 7-0-0-0 record, scored twice in the third period on their way to the win.

Last month, Dalbrae and Glace Bay played twice at the Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold Hockey Tournament in North Sydney with the Panthers handing the Dragons 7-0 and 7-1 losses – the second game in the tournament semifinal.

Kenzie Batherson had the game-winner on Friday, scoring at 7:52 of the third period. Ethan MacLean, Cole Campbell and Olan VanZutphen also added goals for the Dragons.

Ty Oliver, on a penalty shot, and Cohen McNeil buried goals for the Panthers.

Dalbrae’s Neil MacLean made 22 saves. Glace Bay’s Kristian MacKenzie stopped 32 of 35 shots.

The Dragons (1-0) will play twice on Saturday at 10 a.m. against the Auburn Drive Eagles of Cole Harbour and 4 p.m. against the Sydney Academy Wildcats.

As for Glace Bay (1-1), they wrap up the round robin portion of the tournament on Saturday at 6 p.m. against Auburn Drive.

Neil MacLean of the Dalbrae Dragons, right, stretches across the crease to make a save on Kale MacDonald of the Glace Bay Panthers Panther Classic high school hockey action at Miners Forum in Glace Bay on Friday. Dalbrae won the game 4-2. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST. - Jeremy Fraser

CEC COUGARS 6, RIVERVIEW RAVENS 1
 

The Cougars opened their tournament with a victory over the short-staffed Riverview Ravens.

Max Greatorex scored twice while Miles Carreau, Ethan Wolfe, Drew Williams and Alexander Field netted goals for the Cougars (1-0).

Gavin Philippo had the lone goal for the Ravens (0-1-1-0).

CEC’s Sam Oxner made 10 saves. Riverview’s Max Shaheen stopped 20 of 26 shots.

According to the game sheet, Riverview had six affiliate players in their lineup including Philippo, Coltin MacLeod, Liam Burman, Kyle MacDonald, Josh Gogan and Blake Confiant.

HALIFAX WEST WARRIORS 5, MEMORIAL MARAUDERS 4
 

A late third period goal by Luc Pineau, his second of the game, lifted the Warriors to the victory over the Sydney Mines-based Marauders.

Thomas Panopalis, Mack Bursey and Yorgos Gavas also found the back of the net for the Warriors (1-0-0-0).

Sam Gracie scored twice while Davis MacInnis and Hudson McGean added single markers for the Marauders (1-1-0-0)

Halifax West’s Gavin Pye and Issac Manette both shared time in goal. Pye stopped three of five shots while Manette turned aside 10 of 12.

Goaltending statistics were not accurately reported on the game sheet for Memorial’s Jack MacPhee.
 

Kenzie Batherson of the Dalbrae Dragons silences the crowd during the third period against the Glace Bay Panthers during Panther Classic high school hockey action at Miners Forum in Glace Bay on Friday. Dalbrae won the game 4-2. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST. - Jeremy Fraser

AUBRUN DRIVE EAGLES 5, SYDNEY ACADEMY WILDCATS 3
 

The Eagles claimed their first victory of the tournament over the Wildcats.

Jack Girard netted a pair of goals while Logan Cameron, Charlie Dewar and Cruz Thompson chipped in with goals for the Eagles (1-0-0-0).

Charlie Francis scored twice while Matthew MacIntyre also added a goal for the Wildcats (0-2-0-0).

Auburn Drive’s Roman Young made eight saves. Sydney Academy’s Brody Campbell stopped 29 of 34 shots.
 

CEC COUGARS 3, HALIFAX WEST WARRIORS 1
 

The Cougars used a three-goal third period to get by the Warriors to wrap up Day 2 of action at the tournament.

Dylan Atwater, Malky Murphy and Seth MacPherson notched goals for the Cougars (2-0-0-0).

Brody Fitzpatrick had the lone goal for the Warriors (1-1-0-0).

CEC’s Bob Williams-Henderson made 16 saves. Halifax West’s Issac Manette turned aside 27 of 29 shots.

In a rarity in high school hockey, the game featured no penalties.

- Jeremy Fraser is the sports reporter for the Cape Breton Post. Follow him on X (Twitter) @CBPost_Jeremy.