AMHERST – The Amherst CIBC Wood Gundy Ramblers had a productive weekend at home in the Maritime Hockey League.
“We had a great weekend,” said Jim Bottomley, Ramblers coach and general manager. “We were finishing our checks, getting traffic in front of the net, getting a lot of pucks to the net, and doing all the little things we have to do to win.”
On Saturday the beat the Pictou County Weeks Crushers 5-3, and then beat the Miramichi Timberwolves 5-2 Sunday at Amherst Stadium.
The Ramblers Maxime Richard was the first to light up the lamp in Sunday's game, giving his team a 1-0 lead at 5:04 into the first period. Danny Harquail and Jeff MacPherson assisted on the goal.
Brock Morrison put the Ramblers up 2-0 four minutes later off assists from Jesse MacInnis and Ben MacDonald.
The period ended with the Ramblers up 2-1.
Amherst scored the only goals in the second period, giving them a 4-1 lead by periods end.
Josh Pugsley scored off assists from Ben Berisha and Brett Shute, and Ramblers captain Kody Orr scored with assistance from Mitchell O’Neill and Brock Morrison.
Miramichi made it a 4-2 game at 6:33 into the third period, but MacInnis made it a 5-2 game off assists from Harquil and Cam McDonald.
Richard Tingley played in goal for the Ramblers and shots on goal was 53 to 33 in favour of the Ramblers.
Bottomley said Tingley played great all weekend long.
Fights broke out with 3:25 left in the game and Ramblers player Jamie Bishop and Brett Shute were given game misconduct penalties for fighting in the last 10 minutes of the game.
“Miramichi were frustrated, they were getting hit around pretty good,” said Bottomley. “At that stage of the game, when the games already decided, we don’t like to see but it happens.
“We ‘re a much different team than we were two weeks ago,” added Bottomley. “We’re bigger, we’re stronger, we’re more physical and we’re going to play in-your-face hockey from here on in.”
The Ramblers hosted the Weeks Crushers Saturday night at Amherst Stadium, winning 5-3.
Scoring for the Ramblers was MacPherson, Shute, Robert Davis, Morrison and McDonald.
Jamie Bishop and Orr had two assists each, with single assists being registered by Patrick Harrison, Harquail, O’Neill, and MacInnis.
Richard Tingly stopped 25 of 28 shots, while his teammates fired 44 shots at the Weeks Crushers goal.
After the game Bottomley said, “I have got to be thankful to the boys and how they played. They pulled it off out there. They worked their butts off and we got a win out of it.”
Attendance was 1267.
The Ramblers reduced their roster to 21 players yesterday.
Serge Boisvert will play the rest of the season with the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League Cumberland County Blues, and Brett Arthur has gone the NSJHL Sackville Blazers.
We’re down to 21 players, so that leaves us with four cards open before the January 10 deadline,” said Bottomley.
dmathieson@amherstdaily.com
