Uxbridge Bruins stay perfect as LumberJacks and Merchants deliver Thanksgiving weekend drama

DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard

The Thanksgiving weekend delivered plenty of excitement for junior hockey fans, in the PJHL Orr Division, as the Uxbridge Bruins, Port Perry LumberJacks, and Little Britain Merchants all took to the ice in crucial early-season matchups.

Uxbridge continued their hot start, sweeping a two-game set, against the Caledon Golden Hawks, to remain undefeated. The Bruins crushed Caledon, 12-1, on home ice, at the Bear Den, on Friday, October 10th, before following up with a 4-1 road victory, on Sunday.

In Friday’s rout, Tanner Ryan led the charge, with a three-goal performance, including one assisted by Bensen Moore and Devin Hollands, late in the third period. Tucker Roberts also contributed four goals and seven assists, over the weekend, while Ryan Shier notched two goals in the win. Friday’s game saw scoring spread across the roster, with Jack Kemp, Evan Gilbert, Darin Bain, Tyson Lotton, and Josh Hall all finding the back of the net. Caledon’s lone goal came from Keiran Potts, midway through the third period.

Sunday’s rematch was tighter, but Uxbridge remained in control. Bensen Moore, Ryan, Shier (skating in his 100th career junior hockey game), and Colin Glecoff all scored for the Bruins, securing a 4-1 victory and keeping their perfect record intact. Only the Alliston Hornets, of the Carruthers Division, share the distinction of being unbeaten at this early stage of the season.

The LumberJacks were busy themselves, taking part in a thrilling 8-7 overtime win, against the Clarington Eagles, on Saturday, in Bowmanville. Johannes Kalm, Austin Fata, Raine Nadeau, Parker Lemay, and Andrew Naccarato-Soule all scored for Port Perry, while the Eagles’ Gianluca Meli netted four goals of his own, including a hat trick in the third period. Naccarato-Soule ultimately scored the game-winner, in overtime, to give the LumberJacks the dramatic win.

However, Port Perry’s homecoming, on Sunday, brought a tougher challenge. The LumberJacks fell, 6-2, to the Georgina Ice, at Scugog Arena, with goals from Kalm and Lemay still not enough to overcome the Ice’s balanced attack.

Little Britain had a weekend of mixed results. The Merchants started with a hard-fought 3-2 overtime loss, to Georgina, in Keswick, with goals from Keegan Paylor and Everitt Corneil. They rebounded, on Saturday night, at home, defeating the Schomberg Cougars, 5-3. Scoring for the Merchants included: Quinn Boyle, Corneil, Beckham Reznik (who had a two-goal night), and Curtis Misner, who capped the comeback with his sixth goal of the season.

It was a weekend of highs and lows for local hockey fans, but Uxbridge’s continued dominance and the competitive games from Port Perry and Little Britain promise an exciting season ahead, in the PJHL Orr Division.

Looking Ahead: The Bruins have two home games this coming weekend, welcoming Clarington, on Friday night, and hosting Little Britain for a rare Saturday night showdown, at the Bear Den. The LumberJacks are back at home, Sunday afternoon, at Scugog Arena, to face Schomberg, giving local fans plenty of action to look forward to.