The Nova Major Bantams took part in the ESSO Atlantic Major Bantam Hockey Tournament in Halifax this past weekend, posting a 3-0-1 record in the round robin portion. “We have been playing well of late,” said head coach Kyle MacDonald. “Two weekends ago at the Irving tournament, we kind of hit a wall in the playoff round. We talked about focus and being prepared for this tournament the past two weeks. I thought going in the team was up to the challenge of facing the top teams in the Atlantic Region!” On Thursday morning, the Nova Bantams battled the Western Hurricanes from the Nova Scotia Major Bantam League and came away with a 6-1 triumph, while the Friday matchups saw the Nova Bantams defeat the Dieppe Flyers from the New Brunswick Bantam league 4-2 and play the Newbridge Senators to a 3-3 draw. Saturday morning, the Novas took on the Landworks gulls from the Nova Scotia League and came away with a 4-2 victory. At the end of the round robin, the Novas were on top of the standings in the Refining Division, and faced the Bedford Barons of the Nova Scotia league in a Saturday afternoon quarterfinal matchup. The Novas battled their league opponents hard and advanced to the semi-final round with a 3-2 victory and a date with the tough Moncton Hawks of the New Brunswick league on Sunday morning. A 5-1 victory against the Hawks set the stage for a thrilling championship game against the Dartmouth Whalers of the Nova Scotia League, in which the Novas prevailed in a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory to take home the 2014 Esso Atlantic Banner! Logan Timmons was named tournament MVP and Colton Ellis was named the top goaltender. “This was a great weekend for this team,” said head coach Kyle macDonald. “We are working hard, learning lessons from all our games, and the coaching staff is pleased with the way this team has come together. It’s great hockey to watch and I invite everyone to come out and see the kind of hockey being played in this league.” The Nova Bantams return to league action this coming weekend with a pair of home games against the Western Hurricanes and the ACCEL Hawks. Puck drop is slated for 5 PM at the Antigonish Arena on November 29th and at 11 AM at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Center on November 30th.
GrayJay Sports
The Novas 
