Road to the Schmalz Cup runs through the Battle of North Durham

DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard

A North Durham rivalry will take centre stage this weekend, as the Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL)’s Orr Division semifinals open, with a familiar and heated matchup.

The first-place Uxbridge Bruins will square off against the fourth-place Port Perry LumberJacks, in what promises to be another intense chapter in the Battle of North Durham.

Uxbridge enters the series as the clear favourite, having dominated the regular season rivalry. The Bruins claimed six of the seven meetings between the clubs and carried that momentum straight into the quarterfinals.

Matched up against the Caledon Golden Hawks, the Bruins delivered one of the most lopsided series performances in recent memory, sweeping the series in four straight games, while outscoring their opponents, an eye-popping, 53-2. Uxbridge won both games on home ice, at the Bear Den last week, in emphatic fashion, posting a 13-0 victory, in Game 3, on Tuesday. This, before closing out the series with an 18-0 triumph, on Friday night.

Port Perry, however, arrives at the semifinals riding plenty of momentum of its own. The LumberJacks completed a four-game sweep of the Little Britain Merchants, in their quarterfinal matchup, showing resilience and timely scoring throughout the series. The Merchants were eliminated, after Port Perry earned a 6-3 win, Wednesday night, at Scugog Arena, and followed it up with a convincing 5-1 road victory, on Saturday, to punch their ticket to the semifinals.

While the regular season numbers favour the Bruins, playoff hockey between these longtime rivals has often told a different story. Physical play, emotional swings, and packed barns are typically part of the equation, whenever Uxbridge and Port Perry meet in the postseason.

Both teams feature balanced scoring attacks and enter the series brimming with confidence, after decisive opening-round performances. Uxbridge’s offensive depth was on full display against Caledon, while the LumberJacks demonstrated composure and defensive structure in closing out Little Britain.

Beyond local bragging rights, there is plenty on the line. The winner of the series will advance to the Cougar Cup Orr Division championship, against either the Georgina Ice or the Clarington Eagles, with the division crown carrying a berth in the prestigious Clarence Schmalz Cup provincial championships.

Game 1 of the semifinal is set for Friday, March 6th, at 7:45 p.m., in Uxbridge. The series will then shift to Scugog Arena, in Port Perry, for Game 2, on Sunday afternoon, at 2:25 p.m.

Game 3 returns to Uxbridge, on Tuesday, March 10th, at 7:45 p.m., while Game 4 will be played Wednesday, March 11th, in Port Perry, with puck drop scheduled for 7:25 p.m.

With both clubs coming off commanding sweeps and expectations high on both sides of North Durham, fans can expect nothing less than playoff intensity, when the puck drops on Friday night.