PJHL Roundup: Applejacks fighting with Navy Vets for top spot

Tucker Otto skates away after a goal-mouth battle took Kobe Nadalin’s net out of place during the Tavistock Braves’ 5-2 loss to the Woodstock Navy Vets on Nov. 28. Alec Richard photo

By Lee Griffi

Wellesley only had one game over the weekend but picked up a valuable win to move two points back of first-place Woodstock in the Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) standings.

Xavier Bussiere stopped all 32 shots he faced to earn his first shutout of the season. Rhys McCloskey’s sixth goal of the season just two minutes into the opening period hung on as the game-winner. The next two goals were into an empty net as the Shamrocks pulled their goalie. Hudson Parker and Tyson Chadwick found the back of the net as Wellesley earned its fifth in a row and haven’t lost since dropping a 4-2 decision to Tavistock on Nov. 12.

New Hamburg also played just one game last weekend, coming away with a 4-2 victory at home against Paris on Friday despite being outshot 44-31. The Firebirds had 10 skaters pick up a single point with Owen Sculthorp, Aydan Burns, Carter Niall and Jayden Fischer finding the back of the Titans’ net. Deklan Jermol was sharp for New Hamburg, kicking out 42 shots for his seventh win of the season.

A poor second period hurt Tavistock in a 5-2 loss to visiting Woodstock on Friday night. Even Palubeski gave the Braves a 1-0 lead with a powerplay marker just past the halfway point of the first period but the Navy Vets stormed back with three straight goals in the second period to take a 3-1 lead into the third. Palubeski pulled Tavistock to within one with his second of the game and 13th of the season two minutes into the final frame, but Woodstock scored twice in the final three and a half minutes to take the two points. Yann Raskin had a pair of assists in a losing effort and the Braves outshot the Vets 43-31.

Tavistock was hoping to bounce back in Paris on Saturday but dropped a 6-5 decision, the team’s third straight defeat. Newly signed Ethan Stover led Tavistock with a goal and three assists while Yann Raskin and Ryan McKellar added a goal and assist each. The Titans led 1-0 after the first and 3-2 after 40 minutes. Paris scored twice in the first eight minutes of the third to take a 5-2 lead before Tavistock cut the lead to 5-4 with three and a half minutes remaining, but the teams traded goals over the last two minutes.

Stover, a Waterloo native, was acquired from the Ayr Centennials of the Great Ontario Hockey League (GOHL) where he spent three full seasons and parts of two others. The forward was also team captain and had 10 points in 25 games.

Tavistock general manager Brent Lange said he is extremely excited to bring in a veteran Junior B player like Stover whose junior career would have come to an end had he remained in Ayr for the entire season.

“With Ethan being 20 this year, we can have him this year and next, and we are thrilled to bring him in. It is a bit tricky as there are certain dates we have to follow, so the deal had to be done by Dec. 1. He provides us with great depth up the middle and wing if needed. He is a great leader and a two-way forward who brings grit, compete level and will fit in nicely here, and will be a fan favourite very quickly here.”

Stover will see action on both special teams units and has already paid dividends with five points in his first two games.

The Centennials went through a team tragedy in 2022 when then captain Eli Palfreyman collapsed in the locker room during the second intermission of a preseason game. Emergency personnel were called, and he was transported to Cambridge Memorial Hospital but died a short time later at the age of 20. The family later confirmed Palfreyman died of a medical incident related to a previously undetected heart condition.

“A nice touching thing he did to pay tribute to his late friend and former teammate was asking to wear number 17 for us, as that was the number Eli wore in Ayr with him. We were definitely going to make sure we could make that happen for him,” said Lange.

The Braves also acquired a defenceman this week as Stratford native Nathan Siebert has joined the team.

“He is another great add for us and I was trying to get him to come here in the spring. But, in his first year at  Laurier this year, he wasn’t sure if he could manage both schedules. We had been in touch a few times in the last month or two and it finally worked out to bring him in,” said Lange.

Siebert was the captain of the Stratford Warriors U18 AA team last year and led his team to an Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) Championship. He also scored the game-winning goal in the championship game.

“He is a great young D-man, he sees the ice very well and is a great skater and can play a physical game as well as contribute on the scoreboard. He will be a welcome addition on the back end,” said Lange.