Ramblers face former mates

AMHERST - Adam Chipman and Derek Smith will have an impact on the Ramblers' playoff hopes in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League despite being traded six weeks ago.
Chipman wore the captain's C and Smith was an alternate when they were dealt Jan. 10 to the Pictou County Weeks Crushers, with Amherst in last place in the Bent Division and management admitting the club couldn't contend for a championship.
The Ramblers, two points out of the fifth and final playoff berth in the Bent, head to New Glasgow tonight for the first meeting of these teams since the blockbuster deal.
This game was scheduled to be played before the trade deadline, but was postponed because of a snowstorm.
"It should be fun," said Chipman, who has three goals and 13 assists in 15 games as a Crusher. "I know they need the win and we're on a bit of a losing skid, so we need to come together with the playoffs just around the corner."
Eric Boudreau will be going up against his former defensive partner in Smith.
"I'm sure there'll be a moment before the game where we'll be talking," said Boudreau. "But when it comes time to play the game, it's going to be serious."
The game means nothing in the standings for Pictou County, which is locked in to the second spot in the Bent and is waiting to see whether it will face Halifax or Bridgewater in its playoff series opener.
"I doubt that they're just going to throw a game away," said Boudreau. "No team in their right mind would ever do that unless they were cheating in some way.
"We're not looking at what happens to them. All we're thinking is that this is a game we have to win."
The Ramblers will make the playoffs if they win both their remaining contests, the other a Saturday home date with Truro, and must win once. Amherst might have to rely on help from Halifax, which provides the opposition for Yarmouth's lone remaining regular-season game.
Pictou County is 9-8 since acquiring Chipman and Smith, and has lost two straight and five of its last eight. The Crushers made a bunch of moves this season to bolster their lineup with the intent of making a run deep into the postseason.
"It's a bit scary," Chipman said of his team's recent slide. "But we have plenty of leadership on this team and we should be able to get things straightened around.
"I've been treated really well here. It's a great town with great fan support and I've been welcomed with open arms. But it's still not Amherst."

jjewers@amherstdaily.com