Golden Hawks, Menace qualify for final with Sunday-night victories
The Trenton Golden Hawks and Milton Menace can open play in the Ontario Junior Hockey League Championship Series as early as this coming Easter weekend.
Trenton, which won the Brant Snow Memorial Trophy as regular season champions, will have home-ice advantage.
Both teams qualified for the final best-of-seven series by winning respective conference championships on Sunday night.
THE EAST
Trenton won its third straight East Conference championship with a 4-2 win over the Haliburton County Huskies in front of 1,110 fans in Trenton.
The Golden Hawks have won all three of their playoff series this year by four-games-to-one counts. Earlier, they eliminated Stouffville and Pickering.
Thomas Kuipers, Isaiah Shantz and David Fournier, with an empty-netter, scored third-period goals for the Golden Hawks, who trailed 2-1 after 40 minutes.
Sami Douglas-Najem gave Trenton a 1-0 lead 2:44 into the first period. Declan Bowmaster and Ty Petrou responded for Haliburton County.
Ryan Sanborn earned the win in net for Trenton, which was outshot 35-30.
Rob MacGregor, the OJHL’s Director of Officiating, presented the East banner to Trenton captain Corbin Roach.
Trenton won Game 4 in Haliburton Saturday by the same 4-2 score, after trailing 2-1 late in the second period.
THE WEST
Milton sports the best record (12-2-0-0) in the OJHL playoffs after eliminating the host Leamington Flyers with a 2-1 win Sunday night.
Carter Bickle earned the win in net for the Menace who were outshot 39-24. The only goal he allowed, by Brayden Degelas, came with 33 seconds remaining in the third period and Leamington netminder Marcus Vandenberg pulled for the extra attacker.
Ashtyn Pacheco and Ivan Fabjan, with his 10th of the postseason, scored second-period goals for the Menace.
In a postgame ceremony, Chris Vanstone, the OJHL’s Vice-President of Hockey Operations, presented the West Conference banner to Milton captain Graeme MacAuley.
Leamington was the top seed in the West and Milton the third seed.
The Menace began the playoffs by sweeping the arch-rival Burlington Cougars, before eliminating the Collingwood Blues in five games.
Collingwood, the 2024 national champions, defeated Trenton in the past two OJHL Championship Series.
The Championship Series can begin as early as Friday, April 18. It must be completed by May 3.
The OJHL champions will advance to the Centennial Cup national championship tournament, May 8-18, in Calgary, Alberta.
