Crushers make their move

Lane Cormier, 12, of the Pictou County Scotsburn Crushers chases the puck during the third period of their NSMBHL game Sunday in Trenton against the Halifax ACCEL Hawks. Cormier collected two goals and two assists as the Crushers won 5-1. (Goodwin photo)

TRENTON – The Pictou County Scotsburn Crushers are starting to get their opponents’ attention.
One of the reasons for the Crushers’ recent surge is team captain Lane Cormier, who has become their top offensive weapon.
“We started slow but we’re picking it up,” Cormier says. “We played two great games.”
The Crushers secured three of a possible four points last weekend in the Nova Scotia Major Bantam Hockey League with a 3-3 tie Saturday against the MCK Ice Dawgs of Dartmouth and a big 5-1 win Sunday over the Halifax ACCEL Hawks in two games played in Trenton.
Cormier, who collected two goals and two assists in one game the previous weekend in Berwick against the Kings Mutual Valley Wildcats, figured in on the Crushers’ second and third goals Saturday.
He set up Blair Dewtie’s power-play goal with 22 seconds left in the third period and scored the tying goal with seven seconds remaining to salvage the tie against the Dawgs.
Jacob Pentz gave the Crushers a 1-0 lead in the first period before the Ice Dawgs tied the game in the second period and went ahead 3-1 in the third.
The Crushers outshot the Ice Dawgs 32-26.
Cormier added two goals and two assists against the Hawks as the Crushers took a 1-0 lead in the first period and snapped a 1-1 tie with four unanswered goals in the third period while outshooting Halifax 45-29. He now has 15 goals and 12 assists for 27 points in 19 games and has been playing his best hockey missing eight games early in the season with a shoulder separation.
“It’s getting better and better,” he said. “It’s the team. I know I’m getting better, but so is the team.”
Head coach Richard White said he’s counting on both Cormier and Dewtie to lead the Crsuhers as the league playoffs approach.
“Lane’s playing unbelievable but the whole team is playing well,” White said. “We’re definitely a better team since the start of the new year. We’ve really turned it around since then.”
White said the Crushers are ready to test any team in the best-of-three opening playoff round that will precede a seven-team round-robin tournament format to decide a league champion.
The Crushers would like to overhaul the Truro Bearcats and the Ice Dawgs, who are now just two points ahead of them.
“We’ll try to catch them and then anything can happen,” he said. “We want to be at our best for the playoffs.”
The Crushers visit the Nova X-Men Sunday in Antigonish in their only game next weekend.