It was a busy weekend of playoff hockey across the CCHL and EOJHL.
In the CCHL, the Smiths Falls Bears fell to the Rockland Nationals, who were the top ranked Jr. A club in Canada throughout most of the regular season, 6-2 in Game 5.
That forced a must-win Game 6 Sunday afternoon at home, a game in which Jackson Heron was the overtime hero in a 4-3 victory. Ethan Morrow turned aside 40 Nationals shots in the win. Game 7 is back in Rockland Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
Carleton Place found themselves down 3-1 after four games to the defending champion Navan Grads, needing to find three straight wins to avoid a second round exit after finishing atop the Robinson Division.
They picked up a 4-2 win on Friday night at home and held off a late Grads surge in Game 6 resulting in a 5-4 win and a Game 7 at home Wednesday. That’s a 7 p.m. puck drop.
In the EOJHL, the Barkley Cup has been awarded to the Ottawa Jr. Canadians following a 4-2 win in Game 6 over the Carleton Place Jr. Canadians. Dylan Turcotte, a highly touted prospect who made his OHL debut this season playing two games for the Peterborough Petes, scored the eventual game-winner in the second period.
It’s Ottawa’s first title since 2013, and the second consecutive Barkley Cup Final loss for Carleton Place, who fell to the Casselman Vikings a season ago.
Story by Grant Deme