Nova Scotia hockey lose third straight

By Arfa Ayub, Staff Contributor

Nova Scotia blew a two-goal lead late in the third period and lost 5 – 4 in a shootout to Quebec on Monday night. It was Nova Scotia’s third straight loss, forcing the Bluenosers to play a qualifying game on Tuesday.

All three of Quebec’s victories have come in the shootout.

“It was nice to keep it close but at the same time it doesn’t matter because we blew the two goal lead,” said Nova Scotian forward Nathan MacKinnon, who had two goals in the game for a total of three in the tournament so far. “I guess we should have come out harder.”

Mackinnon is one of Nova Scotia’s rising stars. He has been compared to the likes of Sidney Crosby and Tyler Seguin of the NHL, but said he wasn’t worried about his personal success in the tournament.

“It was nice to get the two goals,” said MacKinnon. “I wanted our team to win and I thought it was a little unacceptable that we lost the game but I think we will learn from it….”

Quebec got on the board first on a power play goal by forward Jonathan Drouin. Mackinnon’s first goal of the game came during the next play and notched things up at one.

Not even a minute into the second period Quebec’s Simon Desbiens fired a wrist past Nova Scotia’s starting goalie Chase Marchand. Nova Scotia forward John Mullally made it a 2 – 2 game. After accepting a great pass from teammate Ryan Graves MacKinna fired a backhand shot past Quebec’s starting goalie Philippe Desroisiers, giving his team the lead.

Defenseman Brett McNeil’s third goal of the tournament gave Nova Scotia its first two-goal lead of the entire tournament. Two unanswered goals by Quebec would take the game into overtime. Neither team was able to score, and the game would go to a shootout where Quebec’s Jonathan Drouin scored the winner.

Nova Scotia blew a two-goal lead late in the third period and lost 5 – 4 in a shootout to Quebec on Monday night. It was Nova Scotia’s third straight loss, forcing the Bluenosers to play a qualifying game on Tuesday.

All three of Quebec’s victories have come in the shootout.

“It was nice to keep it close but at the same time it doesn’t matter because we blew the two goal lead,” said Nova Scotian forward Nathan MacKinnon, who had two goals in the game for a total of three in the tournament so far. “I guess we should have come out harder.”

Mackinnon is one of Nova Scotia’s rising stars. He has been compared to the likes of Sidney Crosby and Tyler Seguin of the NHL, but said he wasn’t worried about his personal success in the tournament.

“It was nice to get the two goals,” said MacKinnon. “I wanted our team to win and I thought it was a little unacceptable that we lost the game but I think we will learn from it.”

Quebec got on the board first on a power play goal by forward Jonathan Drouin. Mackinnon’s first goal of the game came during the next play and notched things up at one.

Not even a minute into the second period Quebec’s Simon Desbiens fired a wrist past Nova Scotia’s starting goalie Chase Marchand. Nova Scotia forward John Mullally made it a 2 – 2 game. After accepting a great pass from teammate Ryan Graves MacKinna fired a backhand shot past Quebec’s starting goalie Philippe Desroisiers, giving his team the lead.

Defenseman Brett McNeil’s third goal of the tournament gave Nova Scotia its first two-goal lead of the entire tournament. Two unanswered goals by Quebec would take the game into overtime. Neither team was able to score, and the game would go to a shootout where Quebec’s Jonathan Drouin scored the winner.