Mustangs fall to Valley; down 2-0 in playoff series

The South Shore Canadian Tire Mustangs are in danger of being swept out of the playoffs. The Valley Wildcats scored the go ahead goal midway through the 2nd period for a 2-1 win over the Mustangs. The victory gives the Valley a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Head Coach Tim Boyce says his club needs to stay confident.

"We've outplayed them for two games as far as I'm concerned, you know, we've dominated the shot clock just haven't been able to put the puck in the net, powerplay hasn't been great, but you know what, give them credit, they've clogged up the middle of the ice in the little rink and their defencemen are blocking a lot of shots in front, so hopefully we'll go down there to Berwick, it's a bigger ice surface and it's going to be tougher for their defencemen to do that."

Boyce adds its been a frustrating series so far.

"Like I said to the guys, it's one thing to be completely dominated by a team and go into the dressing room down 0-2 thinking you don't have a chance because they've outplayed you. That's not the case here. I've felt we've carried the play here in the two games, just got to start finishing."

Avery Clarke scored the lone goal for the Mustangs while Cole Skinner stopped 18 shots in the loss. Game 3 goes Saturday night in Berwick.

Mahone Bay appoints new police chief

There is a new police chief in Mahone Bay. Rob James has held the job since last June, but the town formally appointed him to the position during Tuesday night's council meeting. James says the RCMP don't typically have police chiefs, so its more of an honorary title. He says there's been a little bit more workload because of the new title.

"I look after any investigations in Mahone Bay, but I'm also, for example, the traffic authority, I look after any bylaws that need tending in Mahone Bay. I also liaise with the town council, with the police advisory board things like that. I'm more less a liaison between the detachment and town of Mahone Bay."

James says its been an easy transition becoming the head officer in Mahone Bay after spending over six years covering Lunenburg County.

Chester Mulls Buying Land Along East River

The Municipality of Chester is mulling over whether or not to purchase a 12 hectare parcel of land along the East River. The piece of land is located along the west side of the river and is bordered by the Chester Connection Trail. The area is known as a good spot for fishing, hunting, hiking and canoeing and is up for sale for just under $100,000. Councillor Marshall Hector says he's in favour of buying the land because the land has lots of recreational value. Council discussed the issue at length but decided to defer the issue until their meeting next week.

Residents lack support to pave Dawson Heights

Dawson Heights Road won't be added to the province's paving program this spring. Only 28 per cent of residents agreed to pay half the estimated $307-thousand cost to pave it. That represents about nine of the 32 property owners on the Pine Grove road. The street improvement bylaw says a minimum 75 per cent approval is needed before any paving work could have been done. Mayor Don Downe says residents have the option of revisiting the issue next year.

Bridgewater changes benefits for non-unionized staff

Bridgewater council is offering its non-unionized staff an updated benefits package. The new perks include personal sick days increasing to five from two, increased time off for bereavement and changes to overtime policy for senior management and non-management. Mayor Carroll Publicover likes the changes.

"We've got an excellent non-unionized work force. They're very professional, they represent the town in an exemplary way. I think you treat your professional staff in the best way that you can within the means that you have. We're not giving away the ship, we're compensating them reasonably for what they do."

However, councillor Bill McInnis disagreed with the mayor, saying benefits in the public sector are excessive compared to the private sector. Councillor Jim Bell also voted against the updated benefit package. Council voted 4-2 in favour of the change, with councillor Patrick Hirtle missing the meeting. The town also increased pension contributions to seven per cent, with the option of raising it from its current amount of five per cent.