NORTH SYDNEY – Alex Chenhall scored the overtime-winner at 2:53 of the extra frame as the Sydney Academy Wildcats edged the host Memorial Marauders 3-2 at the Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold Hockey Tournament at the Emera Centre Northside on Thursday.
Dylan Williams also chipped in with two goals for the Wildcats. 
Jacob Jessome and Kent Keagan answered with goals for the host Marauders. 
Sydney Academy opened the scoring with Williams’ first of the tournament with just over two minutes left in the first period. 
The contest remained 1-0 until midway through the third period when Jessome found the back of the net. 
Seconds later, the Marauders took its first lead of the contest with Keagan’s marker, before Williams tied the game with 2:49 to play in regulation time, leading to Chenhall’s overtime heroics. 
Hunter Chenhall posted the win in goal for Sydney Academy. Grade 12 Spencer Shebib was tagged with the loss for Memorial. 
Earlier in the day, Riverview edged Glace Bay 4-3. 
Kinnon Williams, who was an invite to Cape Breton Screaming Eagles training camp in August, had a goal and two assists for the Redmen. 
Andrew McCarron, Ethan Stanwick and Chase Sampson also scored goals for Riverview. 
David Beaton, Tyler Mortimer and Tye Clarke replied with goals for the Panthers, who will host the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation provincial championships in March. 
Michael MacMullin picked up the win for Riverview. Colton Boutilier shouldered the loss for Glace Bay.
Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold Hockey Tournament continues on Friday with six games on the schedule. 
The day will begin with Riverview playing Sydney Academy at 10:45 a.m., followed by Glace Bay and Prince Andrew at 12:30 p.m., and J.L. IIsley and Riverview at 2:15 p.m. 
Memorial will hit the ice at 4 p.m. against Glace Bay, while Sydney Academy faces Prince Andrew at 5:45 p.m., a game which will be followed by Memorial and J.L. IIsley at 7:30 p.m. to finish day two of the four-day event. 
The championship game is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Emera Centre Northside in North Sydney.
Note: The start of the Memorial and Sydney Academy game was delayed for about five minutes after the Zamboni ran out of propane with only two laps to go following the warm up. 

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NORTH SYDNEY, N.S. — Spencer Shebib would like nothing more than to win the annual Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold Hockey Tournament in his final year of high school.

The 17-year-old netminder is one of five Grade 12 players on this year’s Memorial High School Marauders hockey team, who will play in their final home tournament this weekend.

“The whole team is pretty excited about it, especially the guys in their final year,” said Shebib with a smile. “We had a good tournament last year, but we didn’t make the semifinals, but I’m really looking forward to this weekend —I think we’ll do better.”

The 2018 edition of the Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold Hockey Tournament will begin on Thursday at the Emera Centre Northside in North Sydney.

The event will feature six teams including the host Marauders as well as local representatives, the Riverview Redmen, Sydney Academy Wildcats and Glace Bay Panthers. Mainland teams including the Prince Andrew Panthers of Dartmouth and the J.L. IIsley Judges of Halifax.

Marauders head coach Terry Duff expects the tournament will provide local fans with a jam-packed weekend of hockey action.

“We have some good teams coming to the tournament and we’re looking forward to see how we stack up against them,” said the veteran bench boss. “We’re a young team with only five Grade 12s, so we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
 

Shebib joined the Marauders last season after spending his Grade 10 year playing midget ‘AA’ hockey with the New Waterford Sharks.

The Millville resident decided to play for the Marauders because he considered high school hockey as the “better path” for his career.

“I had a lot of friends on the team and I think it’s a pretty competitive league and one that’s great for local hockey players,” said Shebib.

“It means a lot to me to be able to represent my high school — it’s quite an honour.”

The Marauders last won the tournament in 2016 when they edged the Glace Bay Panthers 2-1 in the championship game.

“It would mean the world to me if we could win this tournament in my final year of high school,” said Shebib. “It would definitely be one of my best hockey memories.”

Memorial enters the tournament with an 0-2 record after losing its first two games of the Cape Breton High School Hockey League season last week.

The Marauders hosted the Panthers last Thursday at the Emera Centre Northside, a game which drew an estimated crowd of 700 people to the North Sydney venue.

“The tournament is all the boys have been talking about and I know there is some excitement among the students as well,” said Duff. “The students decorate the arena and they come dressed up with their face painted, so I expect the crowd will only be bigger this weekend.”

The Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold Hockey Tournament will open with the Redmen and Panthers squaring off at 6 p.m. on Thursday, followed by the Marauders and Wildcats at 7:45 p.m.

jeremy.fraser@cbpost.com

Twitter: @CBPost_Jeremy

Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold Hockey Tournament

Gold Division: Memorial Marauders (host), Prince Andrew Panthers and Riverview Redmen

Green Division: Sydney Academy Wildcats, Glace Bay Panthers and J.L. IIsley Judges
Thursday

6 p.m. – Riverview Vs. Glace Bay

7:45 p.m. – Memorial Vs. Sydney Academy

Friday

10:45 a.m. – Sydney Academy Vs. Riverview

12:30 p.m. – Glace Bay Vs. Prince Andrew

2:15 p.m. – J.L. IIsley Vs. Riverview

4 p.m. – Memorial Vs. Glace Bay

5:45 p.m. – Sydney Academy Vs. Prince Andrew

7:30 p.m. – Memorial Vs. J.L. IIsley

Saturday

9:30 a.m. – Prince Andrew Vs. J.L. IIsley

1 p.m. – Third place Vs. Sixth place (quarter-finals)

2:45 p.m. – Fourth place Vs. Fifth place (quarter-finals)

6:15 p.m. – Second Place Vs. Highest ranked quarter-final winner

8 p.m. – First Place Vs. Lowest ranked quarter-final winner

Sunday

1 p.m. – Championship Game

*All games at Emera Centre Northside in North Sydney

SYDNEY – The Glace Bay Panthers will host the Sydney Academy Wildcats on Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Canada Games Complex in Sydney.

The Panthers are coming off a 2-1 win over the Memorial Marauders on Thursday. As for the Wildcats, they enter the game after losing 13-0 to the Riverview Redmen on Wednesday.

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SYDNEY, N.S. — The Cape Breton High School Hockey League will begin its 2018-19 regular season on Tuesday.

This year’s league will feature four-teams including the defending league champion Riverview Redmen, Glace Bay Panthers, Memorial Marauders and the Sydney Academy Wildcats.
 

Each team will play an 18-game schedule — nine games on home ice and nine games on the road. The teams will face each other six times — three games at respective home arenas.

The Riverview Redmen were one goal away from winning the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation provincial title last season, losing to the Charles P. Allen Cheetahs of Bedford.

Riverview will return eight players including forwards Blake Cox and Brady MacLean as well as goaltender Michael MacMullen.

“We have a good core coming back, but we did lose a lot of good kids, and also gained some,” said Redmen head coach Jimmy Smith.

“We have good goaltending, we have some real good defense and we have some good guys up front that are coming back bigger and stronger.”

Riverview will open league play Tuesday when they host the Memorial Marauders at 8 p.m. at the Cape Breton County Recreation Centre in Coxheath.

This year’s edition of the Glace Bay Panthers will be fairly young, with the team losing 11 players from last year’s lineup.

“It’s a big turnaround year for us, but we have some good young talent that came up, so we should be strong,” said Panthers head coach Dwayne Doucette.

“We’re well-balanced, our defense is pretty strong, we have six strong defencemen and we have three strong lines — as far as balance goes, we will be stronger than last season.”

Among the six returning players, two of those will be between the pipes.

“It’s huge to have returning goaltenders,” said Doucette. “It starts in goal and it goes from there — we’re pleased.”

Like Glace Bay, the Memorial Marauders will also have a young team this year, icing five Grade 12s and six Grade 10s in its lineup.

“For us to be successful, the players really have to support each other and do it by committee — work ethic will be a big thing,” said Marauders head coach Terry Duff.

“Hopefully no teams will outwork us, and I don’t believe that they will.”

Memorial will have two experienced goaltenders between the pipes. The team will return Grade 12 player Spencer Shebib and has also added Jonathan Dolomont, who spent last season with the Cape Breton Jets of the minor midget ‘AAA’ hockey league.

“It’s a balanced lineup, but I expect our goaltenders to be strong,” said Duff.

The Sydney Academy Wildcats will return to the league this season, one year after failing to ice a team because of low player numbers.

“We hope that we’re going to be competitive,” said Sydney Academy principal Kevin Deveaux, noting 26-28 players tried out for the team this season.

“We love to win provincial titles, but that’s secondary to providing the opportunities.”

The Cape Breton Post requested an interview with Wildcats head coach Sheldon Surette, however the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education denied the request, directing all questions about the Sydney team to Deveaux.

Sydney Academy will host Riverview on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre, while Memorial will play Glace Bay in its home opener on Thursday at 7:20 p.m. at the Emera Centre Northside in North Sydney.

The Panthers, who will host the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation Division 2 provincials in March, will have its home opener on Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Canada Gamex Complex in Sydney.

Cape Breton High School Hockey League:

• The league will feature four teams: Glace Bay Panthers, Memorial Marauders, Riverview Redmen and Sydney Academy Wildcats
• Each team will play 18 games during the regular season – nine games home and nine games on the road
• The teams will each play each other six times – three at home and three on the road
• The league will begin its schedule on Tuesday with Riverview hosting Memorial
• The Glace Bay Panthers will host the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation provincials, March 8-10, 2019, at the Canada Games Complex

jeremy.fraser@cbpost.com