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

COXHEATH, N.S. — Logan Beaton scored the game-winning goal with 1:27 to go in the third to give the Riverview Redmen a 3-2 win over the Glace Bay Panthers in Cape Breton High School Hockey League playoff action Tuesday at the County Recreation Centre.

The win in front of about 400 fans gives the Redmen a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven league championship series. Game 6 goes tonight at the Canada Games Complex, a 7:15 p.m. start.

Andrew McCarron and Blake Cox with goals in the first period also struck for the Redmen.

For the Panthers, Dylan McDonald opened the scoring in the first period. Christian Jackson tied things up in the middle frame.

Between the pipes, Owen MacPhee stopped 16 shots to pick up the win, while Cody Smith turned aside 26 pucks in the loss.

If necessary, Game 7 will be played Friday at the County rink at 7 p.m.

SYDNEY — It should come as no surprise that the Cape Breton High School Hockey League championship series is down to a best-of-three affair.

After all, the Riverview Redmen only just edged out the Glace Bay Panthers to win the regular season title. And given the number of games they’ve played against each other this season and that the two teams are equally matched, it’s only fitting that the battle for local bragging rights appears to be heading right down to the wire.

On Sunday, the Redmen parlayed a gritty effort into a 4-1 win over their new archrivals. The game, played before a crowd of about 300 at the Canada Games Complex, was closer than the score might indicate.

The visiting Redmen, who entered the game trailing the series 2-1, opened the scoring in the first period on a power-play goal by Logan Beaton. Riverview took a 2-0 lead in the second on a second goal with the man advantage that saw Andrew McCarron get credit for the marker.

But the Panthers fought back and entered the third period trailing by just one after Robbie Harroun scored on the power play. However, just when it looked like the game would go down to the wire, Riverview defenseman Dylan MacDonald finished off a nifty passing play to give his team an insurance marker.

Glace Bay’s comeback chances diminished further when a cross-checking penalty left them shorthanded with two minutes to play. The Panthers pulled goalie Cody Smith in favour of an extra attacker, but to no avail as Redmen captain Josh MacKay cemented the affair as he scored into the empty net.

Riverview outshot Glace Bay 26-25.

Game 5 of the best-of-seven series is set for Tuesday at 8 p.m. at the County Recreation Centre in Coxheath, while Game 6 is slated for the following night back at the Canada Games Complex, a 7:15 p.m. puck drop.

Earlier this season, the Redmen captured the Memorial High School-hosted Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold tournament, while Glace Bay won its own Panther Classic. Riverview made it to the final of their own Red Cup but lost to Halifax West.

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COXHEATH, N.S. — Trenton Gove’s overtime heroics led the Glace Bay High School Panthers to a 2-1 win over the Riverview Redmen at the Cape Breton County Recreation Centre on Friday.

Gove’s overtime goal came at 10:30 of the extra frame, giving the Panthers a 2-1 series lead in the Cape Breton High School Hockey League best-of-seven championship series.

The forward also scored in regulation time with a backhander, beating Redmen netminder Michael MacMullin at the 11-minute mark of the first period.

The hometown Redmen answered minutes later with regular-season scoring champion Dustin Sudds finding the back of the net to tie the game.

The game would remain tied through the final 35 minutes of regulation time, before the game was finally decided in overtime.

Cody Smith made 30 saves for Glace Bay. MacMullin stopped 39 of 41 shots for Riverview.

Riverview opened the series with a 4-3 win over Glace Bay on Feb. 23 in Coxheath. The Panthers would even the series with a 3-1 win over the Redmen on Feb. 25 at the Canada Games Complex in Sydney.

Game 4 of the series takes place on Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Canada Games Complex.

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SYDNEY — The Glace Bay Panthers held off the Riverview Redmen 3-1 on Sunday to even their best-of-seven Cape Breton High School Hockey League championship series at one game each.

Ironically, the same trio of Glace Bay players who scored in the team’s Game 1 loss scored again on Sunday as the Panthers reversed their fortunes before about 150 fans at the Canada Games Complex at Cape Breton University.

Glace Bay’s Dylan MacDonald opened the scoring early in the first period before a Trenton Gove tally just three minutes later gave the Panthers a two-goal lead. But then Riverview’s Dylan MacDonald scored less than a minute after the Gove goal.

Colin Rosta scored the Panthers’ insurance goal in the second period to mark the end of the game’s scoring. The Redmen played the final 1:56 of the contest with an empty net in favour of an extra attacker, but to no avail as Glace Bay’s Cody Smith kept the door shut. Smith stopped 22 of the 23 shots he faced, while Riverview’s Owen MacPhee was a bit busier as he faced 32 shots.

Game 3 is set for Friday evening at the County Recreation Centre in Coxheath, a 7:30 p.m. start.

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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