Ramblers Come Up Short Against Crushers

Amherst, N.S. – October 25, 2025

The Amherst Ramblers couldn’t complete a comeback Saturday night at Amherst Stadium, falling 5–2 to the visiting Pictou County Crushers in a fast-paced, physical Maritime Hockey League matchup.

The first period set the tone, with Pictou County capitalizing on early chances to grab momentum. The Crushers opened the scoring at 10:34 when Cade Moser found the back of the net off a feed from O’Donnell and Luke. The visitors doubled their lead late in the frame, as Corey MacGillivray struck at 16:36 to make it 2–0.

The Crushers continued to press in the second period, extending their lead with two power-play goals. Braylen Fitzgerald converted at 10:11, with assists to Corey MacGillivray and Dominic MacKenzie, before Matthew McDonald added another at 12:26 on helpers from MacGillivray and Clint MacLaughlin, pushing the lead to 4–0.

But the Ramblers refused to go quietly. The home crowd came alive late in the period when Thomas Gagnon finally broke through on the power play at 17:36, assisted by Bailey Shortall and Elliot Wright. Just two minutes later, Dairen Reynolds added another man-advantage tally from Owen Aura and Anthony Gaudet, cutting the deficit in half and giving Amherst life heading into the third.

The Ramblers carried that energy into the final frame, pushing for more offense, but Pictou County’s defense and steady goaltending from Karkoulas kept them at bay. Amherst pulled the goalie late in search of a spark, but the Crushers sealed the win when Will Allen hit the empty net at 19:45 to secure the 5–2 victory.

Goaltender Lyam LeBlanc was solid for Amherst, stopping 30 of 34 shots and keeping the Ramblers within striking distance. Despite being outshot 35–22, Amherst showed resilience and execution on special teams, converting both their goals on the power play.

The Ramblers will look to regroup and build on the positives from their late push as they prepare for their next outing.