DAN CEARNS The Standard
The Port Perry Lumberjacks’ season has come to an end after being eliminated from the first round of the playoffs by the Lakefield Chiefs.
While the team showed some improvement in the regular season, posting nine more wins than the previous year, their season once again ended with a first-round exit.
The Lumberjacks opened the series in Lakefield against the Chiefs on Tuesday, February 27th. The Chiefs would score the only goal of the first period, and Port Perry trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes of play. Nearly seven minutes into the second period, Johannes Kalm put the puck in the net to tie the game at 1-1. Just 22 seconds later, the Chiefs restored the deficit with a goal. With less than two minutes remaining in the period, Parker Lemay scored, tying the game at 2-2. But two late goals from the Chiefs made it a 4-2 game. No goals were scored in the third period, and the Lumberjacks lost Game 1 4-2.
The series didn’t get any easier for the Lumberjacks in the second game on Wednesday, February 28th. They were held off the scoresheet and allowed four goals in the second period and two in the third period. They lost that game 6-0.
Trailing in the series by two games, the Lumberjacks returned to Lakefield on Saturday, March 2nd. The Chiefs would score the only goal of the first period, late in the period, and led the game 1-0.
Nearly 11 minutes into the second period, the Chiefs struck again, widening the deficit to 2-0. The Chiefs added a goal late in the period and led 3-0 after 40 minutes of play.
Twelve minutes into the third period, Lakefield struck again, making it a 4-0 game. Nolan Goddard would score four and a half minutes later, but the Lumberjacks lost Game 3 by a score of 4-1.
Facing elimination, the team returned to Scugog Arena for a critical Game 4 on Sunday, March 3rd. Neither team got on the board until the second period. Less than 13 minutes in, the Chiefs capitalized on a Nolan Goddard cross-checking penalty to make it a 1-0 game. Then, with just 40 seconds remaining in the frame, the Chiefs made it a 2-0 game with a goal.
Lakefield struck twice more in the third period, and the Lumberjacks were shut out for the second time in the series, this time losing 4-0.
Despite their season being over, the Lumberjacks were greeted with some heavy applause as they saluted the crowd one last time for this season following the end of Game 4.