It was a steady stream of one-goal decisions at the 2018 Don Johnson Memorial Cup Atlantic Junior B Hockey Championship, until Newfoundland and Labrador’s representatives ran into the host team.
At Membertou, N.S., just outside Sydney, the Mark’s Mount Pearl Blades were shut out 3-0 by the Kameron Miners Thursday night to fall to 2-1 in the tourney.
Earlier in the day, the Blades had edged the Western Red Wings of Prince Edward Island 6-5 in a contest decided by a shootout.
It was the second time the St. John’s Junior Hockey League champion Blades had gone into extra time — they had defeated the Moncton, N.B., Vito’s 5-4 in overtime in their tourney opener on Wednesday.
It also was part of a string that saw each of the Don Johnson Cup’s first five games decided by a single goal.
Colin O’Neil had a goal and two assists for Mount Pearl against the P.E.I. reps. Jared Ostroski, James O’Brien, Adam Nolan and Daniel Toope had the other markers for Mount Pearl, with Ostroski and Michael Broders, who had a couple of assists, each having two-point games.
In the game against the unbeaten Miners (3-0), goaltender Brandon Short made 28 saves for Mount Pearl, which finishes its preliminary-round schedule this afternoon against the East Hants Penguins of Nova Scotia.
Semifinals in the five-team tournament are Saturday, with the final on Sunday.
Despite having won two of three games, the Blades haven't yet clinched a playoff berth. While regulation wins are worth three points, those achieved in overtime or shootouts are worth just two (the losers get a single point in those circumstances), meaning Mount Pearl has gained four of a possible nine points so far.
