Crushers Rally To Edge Commandos In OT
Dieppe, NB - It was an emotional return to Dieppe for Crushers Head Coach Troy Dumville on Sunday afternnoon. In front of one of the largest crowds of the season thus far for the Commandoes, the Crushers we able to score late in the third period to tie the game and then complete the comeback in OT for the win.
Michael Hynes led the Crushers with 1 goal and 2 assists while Mathieu Boudreau added 4 assists.
Tyler Noseworthy opened the scoring at 4:12 to give the Crushers a 1-0 lead. Jean-Marc Leger scored at 8:14 to tie the game at 1-1. Mitchell Maynard scored at 10:01 to regain the lead for Pictou County at 2-1 after the first period. Morgan Nicolas (powerplay) scored at 9:18 to knot the score at 2-2. Denis Lagace scored 1:05 later at 10:23 to give the Commandos a 3-2 lead after the second period. Maynard (second goal of game) scored at 6:39 to tie the game at 3-3. Nicolas (unassisted, second goal of game) scored at 9:52 to regain the lead for Dieppe at 4-3. Michael Hynes scored with 19 seconds remaining in regulation at 19:41 to deadlock the score at 4-4 and force extra time. In overtime, Dan Joyce completed the comeback when he scored at 2:25.
Pictou County went 0 for 3 on the powerplay while Dieppe went 1 for 4. Randy Chisholm stopped 27 of 31 shots for the win while Robert Steeves stopped 41 of 46 shots in the loss.
Pictou County next sees action on Tuesday night when they travel over the mountain to face the divison leading Truro Bearcats.
Crushers Win, Focus shifts to Sunday
New Glasgow- Crushers forward Michael Hynes scored two powerplay goals to lead the Weeks Crushers to a 4-3 home win against the visiting Campbellton Tigers. Danny Robichaud and Dan Joyce rounded out the scoring while Alex Newman made 33 saves to pick up the win.
Pictou County set a goal of going 6-2 in the month of November. With wins thus far coming against Yarmouth (2), Campbellton, Summerside and two losses at the hands of Woodstock and Truro, the Crushers head to Dieppe this Sunday one win away from reaching their goal.
Sunday's game in Dieppe is important not only for the team as whole but also for Crushers forward Dan Joyce and new bench boss Troy Dumville. Joyce became a member of the Commandoes at the trade deadline last season and helped them all the way to the finals of the Fred Page Cup. For Dumville, he returns to the city and the team where he spent the last five seasons as Head Coach, GM . Needless to say, the Crushers won't need much motivation for this one.
The Crushers next see action Tuesday December 1st when they travel to Truro for a make up game with the Bearcats.
Hard Nosed Hockey
New Glasgow - Everyone knows the importance of role players to a teams overall success. We usually don’t talk about them much, and rarely will see you them make an end to end highlight reel rush. But it’s the little things that most hockey fans don’t see that makes these players so valuable to their team.
Danny Robichaud, a native of Tracadie NB is in his first season with the Crushers. Danny comes to Pictou County after spending the last two seasons playing for the Campbellton Tigers where he demonstrated the work ethic and intensity which made him a welcomed addition to the Crushers this season.
If you ever stopped by the JBM stadium during a Crushers practice it wouldn’t take you long to notice Danny. Although there is no name bars or numbers on the back of the Crushers practice jerseys, he is the one player that stands out because of how hard he is working. They say in hockey that attitudes are contagious and there is no better proof of that then in Danny’s game and practice habits.
During practice, line-mates are forced to keep up and defenseman, are forced to compete. In games it usually only takes one shift for opposing players to know who Danny is. Day by day, game by game, shift by shift, Danny holds himself and his teammates accountable for the way they compete on the ice. Although he may not put up Gretzky like numbers, it’s no secret amongst the Crushers how valuable a player like Danny can be.
Mark Twain once said, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” Twain of course wasn’t referring to Crushers forward Ben Cameron but if there is any cliché that best describes the 2nd year forward, that’s it.
Cameron, who hails from Summerside PE isn’t the flashiest player on the ice but when it comes to doing his job, you’d be in tough looking for someone who does it better. Keys to Cameron’s success have been chipping pucks past pressure, finishing hits, and good positioning in all three zones of the ice.
Again, it’s the little things that the average fan doesn’t see that makes his game so affective. At 5’9 185lbs, Cameron plays a big mans game. Whether it’s a run it at the end of a play, or subtle reminder at a face off, Ben is always letting opposing teams know that when their playing the Crushers cheap shots and dirty hockey won’t be tolerated.
Being tough doesn’t always mean proving it by dropping the gloves and going toe to toe with an opposing player. Being tough is a state of mind, showing no fear and not backing down from a situation. Sometimes it may be a lot more difficult to do, but the respect that you receive makes it worth it every time.
Ben has earned the respect of his team mates time and time again during his stint with the Crushers. Playing a simple game and holding opposing teams accountable is the name of his game.
Bluecollar Blueline
New Glasgow - They’re not the guys who are scoring the most goals, but if you want to know the true spirit of the Weeks Jr. A Crushers, head coach Troy Dumville will point you to his blueline.
Mathieu Boudreau, Adam Slaunwhite, Trent MacDonald, Ryan Niederkorn and Scott McDonald: five guys who show up every game in a large part because they have to.
Unlike many teams in the league who play with six defenceman, the Crushers have been running this year with five.
“It’s not something that I’ve seen in my eight years of being around,” Dumville said. “There’s an overall shortage.”
A couple players opted to go back to play Jr. B for schooling reasons and a few of the Midgets that tried out he just didn’t feel were ready.
So the defence has come to rest on the five D.
“They’ve been unbelievable,” Dumville said. “To log that many minutes and to be counted on the way they are, they’ve definitely stepped up to the plate and you can’t ask for much more than what they’re delivering.”
Thursday night their talent was shown when they limited the top ranked Truro Bearcats to 29 shots.
“That’s an example of good defensive positioning,” Dumville said. “Our guys are playing solid. They’ve bought into the system and they’re effective. There’s no other way to describe it. They’re an effective group and it’s a big part of our team and definitely will be in the second half our year too.”
That said he is hoping to add a couple of D-men to the roster.
“It’s starting to take a toll on the body so something we have to fix relatively quickly is get a couple more bodies in,” he said.
Until then though, he knows he can rely on the guys to do their job.
Trent MacDonald is a perfect example of the kind of players the Crushers want, Dumville says. He’s a full-time engineering student at St. Francis Xavier University, but even while delicately balancing hockey and school, he’ll be the first to raise his hand when they’re looking for community events.
“It’s exactly what you want your program to be about,” he said. “You can take the other guys and they’re following suit.”
MacDonald said he was challenged to do both by his dad.
“He said if I could go to school and do hockey it would probably be better for me,” MacDonald said. “I like having a busy schedule anyway. I find if I have a lot of free time it just goes to waste, I sleep all day and stuff, but if I’m going to school at least I’m doing something productive – staying away from video games and stuff.”
Scott McDonald is new with the Crushers this year, but he is showing strong leadership for the team, Dumville said. Mathieu Boudreau is only 18 but was named player-of-the-week last week. Then there are the two rookies – Adam Slaunwhite and Ryan Niederkorn – who are put in the unusual position of logging lots of minutes each game in their first year with the team.
“We’re very fortunate to have the guys back there and they keep delivering for us,” Dumville said.
As assistant captain MacDonald said he isn’t too concerned about the shortage.
“That’s pretty much what we ran with last year,” he said. “This year’s been pretty much the same. We’re just kind of looking for the right guy to bring in for the sixth D.”
So far they’ve been working well with the five though.
“We’re on a little bit of a roll for the last while,” he said. “It’s a learning experience at the start of the year for any team. We’re starting to settle in better.”
By playing strong defence he and his fellow blueline boys make the forwards’ jobs easier.
“We’re starting to outshoot teams,” MacDonald said. “Shots are our main focus. Good things happen with a lot of shots.”
Just call him "Crusher"
New Glasgow - Gotham has Batman; New York, Spiderman; Metropolis, Superman.New Glasgow’s masked man is a grinning construction worker called Crusher. You will find him at the John Brother MacDonald Stadium on Thursday’s taunting the guest team, cheering the Crushers or high-fiveing fans. Terry Curley, director of operations for the Pictou County Weeks Crushers is often interrogated about the mascot’s identity."Who is Crusher?" people ask."Crusher," he responds."Yeah, but who is he?" "Well that’s like asking who Santa Claus is," Curley says. He’s not about to reveal the identity of either.
The construction worker Crusher was created about five years ago when the hockey team first moved to Pictou County."He was symbolic of the hard-working Crushers and that’s how the costume was designed." Curley was responsible for coming up with the original concept. Initially he thought he’d go with the Crusher depicted in the team’s logo: big, strong and tough. Fuzzy, cute and cuddly wasn’t in his plan."Really it’s a hockey team, so we didn’t want a bear or anything like that," he said.But then they didn’t want a towering monster that would cause children to scream and run in fright, so they softened it up a bit.The result was Crusher as fans know him today with his wide smile and missing tooth – tough and friendly.
The next task was finding a man to fill the 25-pound suit.The Crushers tried one person for about two months, but for one reason or another he didn’t stay. That is when the call went out for a man who could bring the suit to life and energize the audience.A volunteer who ran music during games said he knew someone who would be perfect. So Curley arranged a meeting.The guy was mild and laid back, Curley said. A responsible husband with kids and a job in the emergency health care field. Not exactly what the Crushers were looking for."He doesn’t seem like an overly-exciting guy. We’re looking for someone who will go out there and stand on his head," Curley said to the volunteer who recommended him. "You really think this is our guy?""He’s the guy," the music man said. "You just got to get him in costume. It didn’t take long to make Curley a believer."You’d think he’d be just bouncing off the walls all the time," Curley said. "But it just seems that once he puts the costume on, he just comes to life."
Perhaps one of the biggest characteristics that separates Crusher from the other mascots in the world of hockey is that he can skate."I played hockey, peewee up to midget," Crusher explains.So after a few times of going out and trying to run on ice he laced up a pair of skates. It gave Crusher the speed and energy that makes him who he is.It’s just one of the many little differences that the man in the suit uses to make the character."I kind of took the original idea and added to it," he said. "I’ve built the character more and more over time."Crusher said putting on the suit is a way for him to relax."I just like getting out and getting away from everything," he said. "The kids look for me. They’re always waiting for Crusher to come by. They really enjoy it."Yes, there are times the mascot takes some abuse. He’s had a hockey stick thrown at him from the opposing team’s bench, been hit and kicked and had drinks spilt on him.(In fact the abuse can be so bad during tournament season that the team hires a security guard to walk around the stands with him.)But he enjoys it too much to ever stop.It gives a chance for the "mild, laid back guy" to let loose his other side."I can kind of just release," he said. "It’s an exaggeration of who I am."But who he is, is a secret Crusher won’t reveal. When the suit is on, he doesn’t talk.Ask him his name and he’ll point to the back of his jersey.You can call him Crusher.
Crushers Win Two
New Glasgow- The Pictou County Weeks Crushers found their way back to the win column this past week with wins against the Summerside Western Capitals and the Yarmouth Mariners. On Thursday night at the JBM Stadium, the Crushers took advantage of a short staffed Capitals sqaud and defeated the Caps 4-1.
On Friday, the Crushers boarded the bus and made the long trip to Yarmouth to take on the Mariners. Entering the third period tied at two, the Crushers were able to beat the Mariners goaltender late in the frame and head home with the two points.
This Weeks is another busy one for the Crushers. On Wednesday, the Crushers host the Yarmouth Mariners for an afternoon match at 3:00pm at the JBM Stadium. Following Wednesdays game, the Crushers host Truro on Thursday night in another divisional match up.
Following this weeks games, the Crushers will be participating in the Annual Pictou County Christmas Parade which will be taking place on Sunday, Nov 15, 2009.
Promotion strategy backfires: PCHA head
NEW GLASGOW – An attempt by the Pictou County Health Authority to increase public acceptance of H1N1 flu immunization clinics became the victim of circumstance.
The PCHA planned to have high-profile members of the community and young athletes (members of the Jr. A Crushers hockey team) take part in the first clinic in the county last Wednesday.
"Two weeks ago we were worried that no one would show up to our clinics," PCHA CEO Pat Lee said.
In the interest of encouraging the public to get their shots, the PCHA decided to ask the groups to come to the clinic and get their shots by way of a positive example.
In the interim, two children in Ontario died from the H1N1 flu and that might have been partially responsible for massive local turnout at the clinics. Having certain groups ushered into the clinics didn't set well with some members of the general public, but Lee said the intention was a good one.
"It was done in the best of faith to generate some public interest. It was my intention, by inviting the Crushers and the mayors to promote confidence and promote the vaccination….It was a judgment call."
Lee said that, looking back, he would have made the same call based on the information he had at the time.
"I wasn't trying to give the Crushers something special. I hoped the youth would say if the Crushers were doing it, it's a good thing." |
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