Orr Division semi-finals beckon for Uxbridge Bruins

DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard

The Uxbridge Bruins know they are officially through to the Orr Division semi-finals. However, they are still awaiting confirmation on their opponent, as the opening round of the playoffs continued through the weekend.

Both the second-place Georgina Ice and fifth-place Lakefield Chiefs have punched their tickets to the semi-finals, after completing sweeps of their quarterfinal series, against the Little Britain Merchants and Port Perry Lumberjacks, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Clarington Eagles should wrap up their series against the North Kawartha Knights, either on Tuesday night, in Apsley, or Thursday, in Bowmanville. The Eagles have dominated the first three games of the series, outscoring the Knights by a total margin of 19-1, through the opening three matches.

Barring a complete collapse by the Eagles, the Bruins should square off against the Ice in the semi-finals. Georgina took the regular season series by a final tally of 5-2, over the Bruins. This, even while the Bruins are the more playoff-tested team, as they have several players returning from last season, when Uxbridge advanced to the Cougar Cup Orr Division finals, where they fell to Clarington.

Local fans can check the Bruins’ social media channels, as well as next week’s edition of The Standard, for the latest playoff scheduling updates.

Loose Pucks:

- Bruins forward Quinn Meek finished the regular season near the top of the table, in several statistics for the PJHL. Across the province, the veteran forward finished in the top 15 for goals, the top 10 for powerplay goals, and third for game-winning goals at 10.

- The Bruins held an alumni game, at the Bear Den, on Friday, March 1st, with this year’s edition of the team taking on a squad of recent graduates from the program. The game was well attended, and the alumni proved more than up to the test of making sure the Bruins are playoff-ready, with the grads skating to an eventful 7-5 victory. Plans are already underway to turn the game into an annual event, and the Bruins thank everyone who participated and attended the game for their support.