The Par-en-Bas Sharks won their second back-to-back Division 2 high school hockey provincial title before a packed house at the Yarmouth Mariners Centre on Sunday, March 3.

The team won the School Sport Nova Scotia (SSNS) championship with a 3-1 win over the West Kings Wolverines, in a tightly-matched, hard-fought contest by both VHSHL teams.

It was a scoreless opening period between the two teams. The Sharks took a 2-0 lead in the second period on a goal midway through the frame by Ben Lyons, assisted by Dominic Jacquard.

Later in the frame Dominic Jacquard increased the hometown team’s lead by scoring a goal with 59 seconds left in the period, which was assisted by Connor Pothier and Blake Newell.

The third period saw a lot of back-and-forth action but with no scoring until West Kings’ Owen Fowler, assisted by Shaun Campbell and Tanner Etheridge, squeezed the loose puck into the Sharks’ net with just one minute and nine seconds remaining in the championship final to cut PEB’s lead to one and to put fans on the edge of their seats with that crucial 'final minute of the game' remaining. 

The Wolverines pulled their goalie for the extra attacker in the final minute but with 47 seconds left in the third period the Sharks secured their win with Dominic Jacquard scoring his second goal of the game on the empty net, with help from Ben Lyons and Cayden d’Eon, for the 3-1 win.

Between the pipes, and with the shots on net, the teams were evenly matched with Par-en-Bas’s Zander White making 21 saves on 22 shots and West Kings’ Aiden Estey making 20 saves on 22 shots.

It was estimated that there were close to 1,000 spectators in the stands for the provincials’ championship.

“I am proud of the entire team. They stepped up big time on the biggest stage of their young careers,” said Par-en-Bas head coach Julien Boudreau. “I am also grateful for the parents’ dedication and support over the entire season. Also thankful for our fans who filled the arena – such a wonderful experience and memory for these kids.”

In an all-VHSHL semi-final round, the Sharks had advanced to the championship game after a 4-3 win over the Clare Loups in semi-final action that came down to the final buzzer.

The Wolverines advanced to the final with a 5-0 win over NKEC in their semi-final.

The other two teams taking part in the D2 provincials were Dalbrae Academy and the Eastern Shore Schooners.

Teams from Inverness and Richmond had also qualified for provincials but due to weather-related school closures were not permitted by SSNS to travel to Yarmouth for the tournament.