Weekend Full of Action for Bruins, Merchants, and LumberJacks

DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard

It was a busy weekend on the ice for local Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) teams, with the Uxbridge Bruins, Little Britain Merchants, and Port Perry LumberJacks all seeing action across several rinks.

The Uxbridge Bruins extended their season-opening win streak to 14 games on Thursday night in Schomberg, skating to a 6-4 victory over the Cougars. Tanner Ryan opened the scoring late in the first period, and the Bruins built a 3-0 lead midway through the second on goals from Jordan Fitger and Darin Bain.

Schomberg clawed back into the contest with a trio of power play goals, but Fitger’s second of the night at 18:11 of the third sealed the win for Uxbridge. Jack Kemp had a strong outing with three assists, while Fitger and Ryan each added multiple points.

However, the Bruins’ perfect run came to an end less than 24 hours later at the Bear Den, where they were shut out 3-0 by the Georgina Ice on Friday night. The loss marked Uxbridge’s first setback of the 2025-26 season.

Meanwhile, the Little Britain Merchants and Clarington Eagles faced off in a home-and-home series. After dropping Thursday’s matchup in Bowmanville, the Merchants rebounded on Saturday night in Little Britain with a 3-1 win.

Curtis Misner opened the scoring midway through the first, and after Clarington tied things up early in the second, Quinn Boyle’s goal restored the lead. Goaltending and defensive play carried the Merchants the rest of the way as they held off the Eagles’ late push.

The Port Perry LumberJacks wrapped up the weekend with back-to-back games of their own. After a 7-6 overtime loss in Schomberg on Saturday night, the LumberJacks regrouped for a strong performance on home ice Sunday afternoon, defeating the Merchants 6-4 at Scugog Arena.

Port Perry’s offence was led by Dylan Leslie, who notched a hat trick and added an assist. Johannes Kalm, Jacob Sharpe, and Andrew Naccarato-Soule also found the back of the net, while Parker Lemay contributed three assists. The win gave the LumberJacks an important two points in the Orr Division standings. As of press time, Port Perry sits in third place with 21 points, just one back of second-place Georgina, but only two ahead of Clarington, who sit fourth in the seven-team division.

Rounding out the weekend’s action, several local players represented their clubs at the PJHL East–South Prospects Game held Saturday in Streetsville. Uxbridge forward Tucker Roberts and defenceman Tyson Lotton, Port Perry’s Liam Aitken, and Little Britain’s John McCormack all suited up for the East Conference team, showcasing the depth of young talent from North Durham and Kawartha Lakes.