PJHL roundup: Braves remain undefeated while Applejacks split and Firebirds win only weekend game

Former Tavistock players were on hand for a recent Braves game for the ceremonial puck drop. Here, former captain Marc Dionne readies for the faceoff. Contributed photo

By Lee Griffi

The perfect start to the 2026-27 Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) season continues for Tavistock, but they aren’t alone – a total of eight teams have yet to lose, including the defending Schmaltz Cup champions, the Fergus Whalers.

Tavistock started the weekend with an 8-2 drubbing of Paris on home ice Friday. The Mounties opened the scoring five minutes into the game, but the Braves roared back with five straight goals on 27 shots. Tavistock scored three goals in the second period on 17 shots and ended the night with 60 shots on goal. Leading scorer Jacob Skuta scored three times and added an assist, while Tucker Otto had two points on a goal and two assists. Blake Richard stopped 32 of 34 shots to earn his third win of the season.

The Braves travelled to Hespeler on Sunday and skated away with a 4-1 victory on the strength of a pair of goals from Owen Yagar. Liam McHugh and Even Palubeski added single markers while Andrew Torchia kicked out 17 of 18 shots.

Tavistock has one of the stingiest goals-against averages in the PJHL, allowing just 1.89 per game, something head coach Zac Berg said has been a team effort.

“Both forwards and defencemen have been committed to defending the high danger area in front of our net and are doing a great job of keeping everything to the outside. On top of that, everyone is willing to put their body on the line for each other, blocking a lot of shots. With the goaltending that we have, if we stay committed to team defence, we should be able to win a lot of hockey games this year.”

Offensively, the line of Palubeski, Skuta and Yann Raskin have combined for 33 points in five games. Berg said the trio clicked instantly this season and are sharing the puck well, and they have constant movement in the O-zone, which makes it very hard for other teams to defend. But he added the team is deep when it comes to scoring, and everyone is contributing.

“Absolutely. When you can have all four lines contributing on the scoresheet, then you are definitely in a good spot. You can't always rely on two or three guys to carry the load. When you can spread the ice time out throughout all four lines, it keeps everyone engaged, and I think that has been a key for us to start the year.”

The team’s goalie tandem of Richard and Torchia have also played solid to date, something Berg said doesn’t come as any surprise to him.  

“They have been unbelievable for us this year. They both put in a lot of work over the summer and you can definitely tell with the way they have played right from the start of training camp. They give us a very good chance to win on a nightly basis. They are the type of goalies on the ice and off the ice that you want to play hard for and lay it all on the line.”

He also said the team is blessed by an incredible group of leaders in the locker room, something that makes it easy for he and his staff to do their job.

“I think it stems from last year. The players created not only a winning culture, but a culture that makes it fun for everyone to show up to the rink every night. The returning players, along with the experienced players who came from other organizations, have carried that culture into this year. It’s the type of team everyone wants to be a part of. This group has a chance to do something extremely special this year. We just can’t stray from what we know. We need to keep improving and moving in the right direction.”

The Braves have a pair of home games next weekend, beginning with Wellesley on Friday night, then Norwich on Saturday. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. both nights.

The Applejacks started their weekend with an impressive 6-2 home-ice win over Norwich, thanks in large part to a three-goal, one-assist effort by Cooper Vickerman. The teams were tied after 40 minutes but Wellesley exploded with four third-period goals highlighted by Vickerman’s natural hat trick. The Applejacks held a 38-13 edge in shots on goal.

They weren’t as fortunate on Sunday, dropping a 5-4 decision in Dorchester despite outshooting the Dolphins 49-26. Hudson Parker scored twice for Wellesley with single markers coming from Luke Schofleid and Rhys McCloskey.

In addition to Friday’s game in Tavistock, Wellesley travels to Paris on Saturday.

New Hamburg played just once over the weekend, outshooting Hespeler 49-23 in a 6-2 victory. Mannheim product Aydan Burns scored two times and added an assist while Joshua Soulliere picked up a hat trick. Deklan Jermol stopped 21 of the 23 shots he faced to earn the win.

The Firebirds host Paris on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and travel to Hespeler Sunday afternoon