Game recaps from boys league March 25-27 weekend. Game recaps are the responsibility of the home team.

Avon View 6 – Park View 1

For the first time in 10 years, the Avon View Avalanche captured the Western Zone Division 1 High School Boys Hockey Championship at home before a sold-out West Hants Community Sportsplex Saturday night by beating the Park View Panthers and, in the process, eliminating the Panthers from advancing to the 2022 Provincials being hosted by Avon View March 31-April 3. 

The Avalanche took the best-of-three Western Series 2-1, but this game was remarkably different than the opening two games of the series in which Park View won the opener in a shoot-out and Avon View the second game 4-3.

In the first period of Saturday’s game, Camdyn Burgess was almost in on a break-away but was hauled down with only 43 seconds having been played.  The referees ruled no penalty shot but put Avon View on the power-play.  At the beginning of the power-play, Auston Hood coughed the puck up at the Park View blue line and it almost cost the Avalanche, but seconds later as he started from his own blue-line, Carter Hood made an unbelievable rush around three Park View defenders who couldn’t touch him and following Hood’s shot, Captain Camyn Burgess jumped on the rebound for a 1-0 Avalanche lead. 

At the 8:30 mark of the opening period, Magnus Giswold streaked down the right side for the Avalanche and let a bullet shot rip and it was 2-0 Avalanche.  Park View knew it had to turn around the game quickly if they had any chance of going to the provincials.  Ryan Jensen let a bullet shot go from 20 feet out but Jaden Croft made a nice glow save and the game stayed 2-0.  Carlos White had the puck close in, but missed for Park View and Brayden Hood then followed up with bullet drive from the blue line but Panther goaltender Owen Lockwood was alert and made a nice glove save. 

The first period ended 2-0 Avalanche with the home team outshooting the visitors 10-7.

In the second period, Camden Burgess, Gavin Sheehy and Brodie Richard teamed up on a fantastic passing play but Lockwood made an incredible save on Richard.  Griswold then missed another great chance before Park View picked up a little steam and force Croft to make 3 spectacular saves in a row including the best one on the Panthers’ Ethan Corkum.  Sheehy and Burgess then streaked in 2-on-1 but Sheehy shot wide.  Sheehy did not miss the second time as he and Burgess went in on a dynamite 2-on-1 and Sheehy scored to make it 3-0. 

Sheehy, Burgess, Carter Hood and Brodie Richard all played a superb game for the Avalanche leaving nothing to question.  Sheehy’s goal came with 4:02 left in the second.  The Panthers finally got on the scoreboard when Nathan Lambourne and Sam Tanner went down 2-on-1 and Lambourne let a low shot go to put the Panthers on the board.  Burgess had another excellent scoring opportunity before the second period ended.  With 1:30 to play in the middle period, Eric Griswold intercepted a clearing pass and scored by drilling a shot just inside the Parkview blue line to make it 4-1 Avalanche after forty minutes.  Avon View held an 11-4 shot advantage in the second and 21-11 after two periods.

In the third period, Gavin Sheehy netted his second of the game on a play with Burgess and Carter Hood with Sheehy scoring on the rebound to make it 5-1 Avalanche.  Penalties and needless ones at that, dramatically picked up in the final 7 minutes, as the game became really chippy with no obvious reason.  Avon View’s final goal came from Carter Hood who went down the left side and let a screaming shot go behind Lockwood to make the final 6-1.

The Provincial Championship schedule is expected to be released Tuesday, March 29 but the tournament will open Thursday, March 31 with 2 games at 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. at the West Hants Community Sportsplex.