PJHL Roundup: Firebirds take four points from Applejacks as tempers flare in Saturday’s matchup

Members of the New Hamburg Firebirds collected non-perishable food items during the New Hamburg Board of Trade’s Santa Claus Parade on Sunday evening. Contributed photo

By Lee Griffi

One of the Provincial Junior Hockey League’s (PJHL) best rivalries came to a head over the weekend in Wellesley as the Applejacks dropped both ends of a home-and-home matchup with New Hamburg.

On Friday, each team took six minor penalties in a 2-1 Firebirds win on home ice. Wellesley led 1-0 on Eric Lacey’s third of the season just under seven minutes into the first period. Jake Thompson tied it up nine minutes into the third, his 10th of the year, before Keegan Metcalf’s game-winning shorthanded marker found the net just over two minutes later.

Saturday night’s game in Wellesley was a much different story as New Hamburg earned a 6-1 win in a game that featured 96 minutes in penalties, including seven majors.

The drama reached a head at the 7:16 mark of the third period when Wellesley goalie Brandon Abbot and New Hamburg netminder Liam O’Leary challenged each other at centre ice, removed their helmets and went at it. Both will serve some suspension time after being served with gross-misconduct penalties along with five-minute majors for fighting.

On the ice, Owen Bruder and Jack MacDonald scored twice for the Firebirds with singles going to Carter Niall and Owen Fischer. Boden White scored his first goal of the season for Wellesley in a game that saw the Applejacks get outshot 42-17.

New Hamburg coach and general manager Shane Gerber said he couldn’t ask for more than taking four points against Wellesley.

“If we had gotten three out of the four, I would have been happy, so to end up with all four was great.”

Despite the on-ice shenanigans Saturday night, Gerber explained the rivalry with the Applejacks isn’t the most heated in the Doherty Division.

“I wouldn’t say it’s the biggest but it's definitely a rivalry between two close teams. We’ve had some good playoff rounds with them over the years, but we’ve had the same with Tavistock. It’s always nice to have those close teams. It’s good for travelling and for the fans.”

Teams in the PJHL have a tremendous amount of turnover every year, mainly due to the age of the players. It’s hard to say how a team will gel until they get on the ice but Gerber said he’s pleased with his team’s progress just past the halfway point of the season.

“The old saying, ‘The next man up,’ has really taken its place here. We’ve dealt with some injuries and illnesses and have relied on our APs pretty heavily this year and those guys are local. Everybody has taken the opportunity they’ve been given, and to sit where we sit having gone through that, we are extremely happy,” Gerber said.

The team’s injuries have included captain Owen Fischer and Jake Thomspon who have a combined 13 games on the shelf.

“The depth inside that room and the way they take on the challenge, that’s what builds successful teams,” said Gerber, who added if there is one area where there is room for improvement, it’s goals against and team defence.

As for Saturday night, Gerber admitted he didn’t want to see his goalie fighting at centre ice, but the season goes on.

“It wasn’t ideal. We play them again in two weeks in Wellesley and I hope the dust settles and we can move on.”

Applejacks head coach Derek Lebold said despite his starting goalie’s upcoming suspension, he couldn’t be more pleased with Abbot’s play.

“Brandon was outstanding in (the first game); one of the best goaltending performances I have seen during my three years here. Our defense played a very heavy and physical game, and I was extremely proud of the way they logged heavy minutes.”

He added Jordan Abbott was moved from forward to defense and rose to the occasion.

“I thought he did a great job of keeping his game simple while using his size to win a lot of key defensive battles for us. All six of our defencemen battled relentlessly and I was proud of them,” Lebold said.

As for Saturday, Lebold explained they played a solid first period but got away from competing and didn’t keep up with New Hamburg’s speed.

“It was frustrating but there are a lot of correctable pieces we can take from that game.”

Speaking to the goalie fight, Lebold said while he didn’t want to see Abbot drop the gloves, he understood his frustration.

“I certainly don't want that to be something Brandon adds regularly to his game, but he had every right to make that decision given how we were playing in front of him. He is a leader for us and hopefully that sparks our group to compete more for 60 minutes as he never takes a night off.”

Lebold echoed Gerber’s remarks about the next time the two teams play in two weeks, saying the Applejacks will be sticking to hockey and not focusing on the extracurricular activities on the ice. He added despite the weekend losses, he likes where his team is at.

“I am proud of the group for how they have gelled and have come together as we integrate some new bodies into the lineup. We do have another gear that this group can hit, though, and we need to get that out of them as we head into the upcoming weekend here.”