The Halifax Pelham Molson Canadians and Dartmouth Moosehead Dry have been waiting 19 years for this.
The two clubs go head-to-head in the championship series for the first time in Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League history starting Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Beazley Field.
Dartmouth has been around since 1990 and appeared in 17 finals, none against Halifax. The Canadians have been to two finals in that stretch, both against the Kentville Wildcats.
“It’s a great rivalry,” said Dry third-baseman Joel Irvine. “They’re an up-and-coming team and we’re a team with a lot of guys who’ve been around for a lot of years.
“It’s going to be a tough series, it’s going to be a long series, but we’re looking forward to it.”
Dartmouth, which captured five straight titles from 2003 to 2007, won the regular-season crown with a 17-7 record. Halifax, the defending champions, finished two games back at 16-8. The teams split the head-to-head season series.
The young Canadians can officially complete the “changing of the guard” by beating the veteran powerhouse Dry, who didn’t even advance to the league final last season.
“We’re eager to get back and prove last year was an off year,” Irvine said. “We’re back and ready to go.”
Game 2 is Saturday at 2 p.m. at Mainland Common.
