PJHL Roundup: League announces all-star game host cities

By Lee Griffi

The Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) is pleased to announce the first PJHL All-Star Games on Dec. 28 and 29.

The games will feature the best and brightest stars in the PJHL as they showcase their skill to fans and compete for their division’s home-ice advantage in the playoffs. Four teams have been selected to host their conference All-Star games for their fans, including the Tavistock Braves.

“The PJHL is excited to bring the All-Star Games to our fans,” said PJHL commissioner Terry Whiteside. “We anticipate exciting and extremely good hockey games. The teams are playing for their division to gain the extra game in the conference finals which will make it super important for them. Showcasing the talent in our league is something we wanted to do and we are very confident that fans will be impressed with the calibre of the play.”

“We here in Tavistock are very excited to be able to host this event,” said Braves general manager Brent Lange. “It will hopefully showcase some of the best players on both sides especially when it does mean something for home-ice advantage in the finals. We look forward to being able to host this game; it should make for a fun time and game for all involved with this.”

The game is set for Dec. 28 at the Tavistock and District Recreation Centre.

The All-Star game is a chance for the PJHL’s brightest stars to showcase their skill in a best-on-best game and skill showcases. The game will have something on the line as the winning division will have the home-ice advantage when the two divisions meet again in the 2025 PJHL Schmalz Cup Conference Finals.

The rosters for each conference will be announced closer to the game dates. Other hosts are the Hanover Barons (North), Clarington Eagles (East) and the Dresden Kings (West). Ticket information will be available on the host teams’ websites closer to the date.

Braves split weekend games

Tavistock started the weekend with a disappointing 4-3 home loss to Paris on Friday but bounced back Sunday in Hespeler with an 11-1 drubbing of the Shamrocks.

Against the Titans, Izac Blur led the offence with a goal and two assists while Nathan Brenneman and Liam Gorman scored the other goals. The Braves outshot their opponents 43-27.

Tavistock jumped out to a 4-0 first-period lead in Hespeler and doubled the lead to 8-0 after 40 minutes of play. Lander Hartley’s shutout bid ended with just one second remaining in the game. Grady Murphy picked up a hat trick to lead the attack. Nicholas Hambly scored twice with Carter Arsenault adding three assists. The teams combined for 82 penalty minutes, including four fighting majors.

Firebirds sweep

A pair of wins for New Hamburg allowed the team to remain one point behind first-place Norwich in the Doherty Division. Aydan Burns had a goal and three helpers in a 6-1 home-ice win over Hespeler on Saturday. Josh Soulliere added a pair of goals with single markers going to Owen Bruder, Michael Gear and Antonio Pasqualino. The game had just three minor penalties.

On Sunday, the Firebirds downed Woodstock 5-2 as the visitors outshot the Navy Vets 44 to 15. Matt Domm had his best game since returning to the team, scoring twice and adding a pair of assists. Owen Fischer, Jake Thompson and Burns also scored for New Hamburg.

In a rare Thursday night game last week, Woodstock pulled off a 6-5 shootout victory over the Firebirds. Bruder led New Hamburg with a pair of goals and an assist.

Applejacks

Don’t look now but the Titans are the hottest team in the Doherty Division. Paris won their fourth game in a row, a 3-2 home-ice decision over Wellesley, to move into a fifth-place tie with Dorchester.

Paris took a 2-0 lead before goals by Hudson Parker and Brennan Kennedy tied it up. The Titans scored the winning goal with just two seconds left on the clock in the third.