PJHL Roundup: Braves lose fourth straight Applejacks win second in a row as division tightens up
By Lee Griffi
Things are getting a little more interesting in the Provincial Junior Hockey League’s (PJHL) Doherty Division.
Just two points separate first from third after weekend action and Tavistock is holding a one-point lead over Wellesley while New Hamburg is just two points out of first. All three teams have played 15 games.
New Hamburg split a pair of weekend road games, downing Tavistock 3-2 Saturday after dropping a 5-1 decision in Norwich on Friday.
The Firebirds trailed the Braves 2-0 after 20 minutes as Brett Bell and Evan Palubeski found the back of the net as Tavistock peppered 15 shots at Blake Richard. Oliver Lyon and Kaiden Cormier scored second period goals for New Hamburg, setting the stage for Cormier’s game-winning marker with the man advantage half way through the third frame.
The Firebirds outshot the Merchants 37-28 during Friday’s loss as Cormier was the only player to find the back of the net.
New Hamburg captain Jack MacDonald said while Tavistock losing four games in a row is a surprise, every team need its A game.
“You have to come to play every game. It’s not good enough to just show up, you have to play well to win.”
The parity in the division is on the rise over the last couple of weeks, something not unnoticed by MacDonald.
“Our wins early in the season, we were up on our opponent all game, but these last couple of games we were down but were able to fight our way back which is something I really like to see. That’s playoff hockey right there. We aren’t always going to be up in a game, but we’ve been putting our heads down and grinding.”
Most hockey players will say they would rather lose a tight game where their team played well and fought right until the end as opposed to a blowout victory. MacDonald agreed and added even in some of their lopsided wins and losses, a 5-1 score seemed much closer because of how tough the division is.
As for his own game at this point in the season, the forward who isn’t known for his scoring prowess said he likes where his play is at.
“Points are always nice, but we have other guys to do that. I’m thriving right now playing defensively, moving the puck well and trying to create scoring opportunities for the team.”
One of the keys to success of any team in the league is how young players can adjust to a higher level of hockey where a 17-year-old is battling a 20- or 21-year-old who is much more experienced and often physically mature.
“They’ve adapted very fast and have been playing like they’ve been here for a couple years. Kaiden Cormier is close to leading the division in goals right now and it feels like every time he has the puck on his stick it’s going into the back of the net.”
Cormier, who scored six goals in 12 games with the Kitchener Rangers U18 AA team last season, leads the team in scoring with a whopping 18 goals and six assists in 15 games. Tate Davison, another 18-year-old rookie, is second in team scoring with 14 assists and 22 points in 16 games.
MacDonald said Cormier is just flat out fun to watch.
“His hands are unreal. He’ll be toe dragging and he just creates a lot of offence. He’s got two guys on his line that can get him the puck, and he always finds the right spot to go to.”
Despite playing better hockey the last few weeks, the captain said there is still room for improvement.
“I think we need to have a little more focus on our regroups, not throwing away pucks and not playing hope hockey. We need to make tape-to-tape passes and play fast. That’s what we’ve talked about since training camp.”
Despite outshooting their opponent 45-24, Tavistock dropped a 4-3 shootout loss against Hespeler at home on Friday night. Nolan Miller, Jacob Skuta and Bartlett found the back of the net for the Braves.
Wellesley played just once last weekend and earned a 5-2 victory in Dorchester. Colton Henderson, Hudson Parker and Ethan Stover had a pair of points each to lead the offense while Brock Schaus kicked out 26 of 28 shots to earn the win. Schauss now has a goals-against average of just 2.27 and a save percentage of .928. Parker leads the team in scoring with 17 goals and 25 points.
The Hespeler Shamrocks are now the hottest team in the Doherty Division as they are riding a three-game win streak. The team is now one point ahead of last-place Paris as the Mounties have lost three consecutive games.
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