Valiant Lakers conclude their season at the OHL Cup

Huron-Perth Lakers forward Ethan Bridges (19) skates with the puck during an OHL Cup round-robin game against the Toronto Marlboros on March 31.

The 2025-2026 season for the Huron-Perth U16 AAA Lakers came to an end following a commendable showing at the OHL Cup in Toronto.

Held at the Scotiabank Pond in Toronto, the Lakers began their round-robin play against the OHL Cup Wildcard winner and OHL Cup’s 8th-ranked Hill Academy on March 30.

Huron-Perth got off to a strong start on the four-minute powerplay in the first period as Evan Miller from Wyatt Finch and Callum Brooks opened the scoring for the Lakers, and Owen Jarmuth from Evan Fisher and Joseph Haskett put the Lakers ahead 2-0 early in the first period.

Hill Academy got on the board midway through the first period on the goal from Tanner Adams and scored again to tie the game in the 1:06 mark of the second period. Hill Academy took the lead less than three minutes into the final frame on a goal from Kieran Gray. Despite a late push from the Lakers, the visitors sealed the victory on Adams’ empty net goal with under two seconds remaining.

Lakers netminder Rylan Da Costa had a strong outing in the loss, stopping 26 of 29 shots.

Head coach Jason Brooks says, despite the toll of not playing for three weeks, he is satisfied with the team's competitive spirit and resilience.

“We competed and battled. I mean, up 2-0 on the power play early, capitalized on the penalties. It was a physical game, and it's starting to take a bit of a toll on us, not playing in three weeks, probably didn't help, but the Hill Academy is a very good hockey team, and we battled with them to the end, and as a coach, that's all I can ask for,” Brooks said.

Looking ahead to the key doubleheader on March 31, Brooks highlighted the importance of concentrating on each game separately, beginning with the first, and executing their strategy effectively.

“Play it as hard as you can, fight and compete, hopefully you're in a W, and then you worry about the second one when it's there. But why? We just got to get battling and competing, really. That's what it comes down to: winning bottles, winning races, and executing our game plan. I don't care if we play two, three or just one game. We have to do a good job at that,” Brooks said.

The Lakers opened their March 31 doubleheader schedule against the OHL Cup’s 9th-ranked York-Simcoe Express.

York-Simcoe opened the scoring at the 7:13 mark of the first period on the goal from Gage Kirk. The Express took control of the game in the second period, with goals from Joshua Miles, Cooper Niquet and Jacob Bertucci putting the home side ahead 4-0 heading into the third period.

Miller’s second goal of the tournament from Fisher and Sullivan Kipfer prevented the shutout defeat, and put the Lakers on the board with 50 seconds left in the game. Tyler Wilkinson stopped 23 of 27 shots in the losing effort.

Brooks says the Lakers’ mistakes due to the Express’s aggressive playstyle led to the outcome.

“York-Simcoe plays hard and fast and makes you make mistakes, and then they capitalize on your mistakes, and that was the case again today. They forced us into mistakes, and they capitalized on the opportunities. We weren't able to get much going, and when we did get chances, either we missed the pass or will tend to make a good save. So, know what our third period is pretty good. We battled, but we need to have that effort for the first 30 minutes of the game,” Brooks said.

Looking forward to the evening game against the Toronto Marlboros, Brooks highlighted the importance of playing hard, making smart puck decisions, and fighting for puck possession.

“Got to battle and make good puck decisions. You know, it's the same story: whether it's in the regular season, in the Alliance, or in tournaments, the puck plays. What matters is your decisions matter, and we have to do a better job of it,” Brooks said.

With hopes of qualifying for the next round hanging by a thread, the Lakers faced the OHL Cup’s most accomplished hockey program, the Toronto Marlboros, in the evening portion of the doubleheader.

Preston Hebert scored the opening goal for the Marlies just 3:35 into the first period. Later, around the middle of the period, Declan McCotter scored his first tournament goal assisted by Bridges and Brooks, levelling the score for the Lakers.

However, Will Cameron quickly responded for the Marlboros with a goal less than two minutes later. Early in the second period, Miles Reilly pushed the Marlboros ahead by two goals, and the Lakers struggled offensively for the rest of the game, ultimately losing 3-1 and dropping their third loss in the tournament.

Despite the loss, Da Costa made 36 saves in a solid performance between the pipes for the Lakers.

A frustrated Brooks states that the team battled hard against Toronto but couldn’t execute at a key point in the game, and commends Da Costa for his performance in goal.

“First off, the Toronto Marlies (Marlboros) are a great team. They work hard. They had lots of skill and speed, and I thought we competed with them. We had some opportunities that, unfortunately, we didn't cash in on, and that was the difference in the game. The Marlies capitalized on the chances they created, and unfortunately, we didn't,” Brooks said.

“(Da Costa) gave us a chance. He battles, and he competes. That's all you can ever ask of a goaltender, and he did a great job.”

After being eliminated in the OHL Cup, the Lakers looked to finish their tournament play on a positive note as they faced the OHL Cup’s top-ranked Detroit HoneyBaked on April 1.

Miller opened the scoring for the Lakers with an unassisted goal at 6:06 into the first period, giving them a 1-0 lead. The score stayed the same until late in the second period, when Blake Stephens pounced on a loose puck in front of Lakers’ netminder Wilkinson, levelling the game as they entered the third.

In the third period, Detroit broke through, scoring three goals in the second half of the final frame, ultimately securing a 4-1 victory and ending the Lakers’ OHL Cup run with a record of 0-4.

Wilkinson put on a goaltending clinic as he made 47 saves against one of the tournament’s top contenders.

HoneyBaked would go on to win the OHL Cup Championship, defeating the Toronto Jr. Canadiens 3-1 in the final at Maple Leaf Gardens on April 4.

Brooks reflected on his team's performance in the OHL Cup and expressed pride in their overall effort during the season.

“I’m very proud of them for what we accomplished during the season. We had an excellent hockey season, a great record in the Alliance, very competitive in tournaments. You come to the best tournament at the end of the OHL Cup, and we played four great teams and came up on the short end of the stick, but it wasn't enough,” Brooks said.

“It just wasn't our best results, obviously. But the boys, the boys I'm so proud of, the way they are. They're just a great group of kids, and they work their butts off and did everything we could ask as a coaching staff.”

The Lakers finished the 2023-26 season with an overall record of 40-15-4.