Northumberland 89.7 Sports
By Jeff Gard/Northumberland 89.7
The Port Hope Panthers have taken a commanding 3-1 series lead against the Picton Pirates and are one win away from capturing the Provincial Junior Hockey League’s Tod Division title following a 3-0 win Wednesday night.
Christopher Brydges, Kieran Flynn and Braiden Scriver provided the offence for the Panthers while goaltender Sam Dingle made 27 saves to earn the shutout in front of more than 600 spectators at the Jack Burger Sports Complex in Port Hope.
Port Hope won the first two games of the best-of-seven series, but had to rebound from a 7-2 Game 3 loss in Picton on Sunday.
“It’s good to bounce back. Obviously we haven’t really won anything yet, but it’s good to get back on the right track and hopefully we can carry on into tomorrow.”
The Panthers will have their first of three opportunities to win the division title Thursday night at the Prince Edward Community Centre in Picton. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
“It’s tough going down there, they have a good fan base,” Brydges said. “Being in the opposing team’s barn is always tough, but if we stick to the game plan we should be alright.”
The winner of the Tod Division final will advance to the PJHL’s East Conference against the Clarington Eagles, which won the Orr Division with a four-game sweep over the Uxbridge Bruins.
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Here are some recent local sports briefs from newscasts you can hear on Northumberland 89.7 FM
In minor hockey action, Cobourg’s Beckett Ewart and the Oshawa Generals U18 AAA team placed fourth at the Ontario Hockey Federation’s Central Region championship in Windsor.
Ewart had three assists, but Oshawa was edged 5-4 in overtime by the Elgin-Middlesex Canucks in the bronze medal game Sunday afternoon.
In seven games during the OHF tournament, Ewart led the U18 Generals with 17 points, including seven goals and 10 assists. He was the tournament’s leading scorer in round-robin play with six goals and six assists in four games.
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The Northumberland Nighthawks competed at the Ontario Minor Hockey Association U13 double-A championship this past weekend in Kingston.
They tied both the Burlington Eagles and Halton Hills Thunder 4-4 and lost 5-1 to the Barrie Colts and did not advance to the playoff round.
The U13 Nighthawks had a stellar regular season, posting a 21-4-5 record before winning six out of eight playdown games to qualify for the OMHA championships.
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Port Hope’s Dalyn Wakely and the North Bay Battalion have advanced to the second round of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs.
Wakely scored his third goal of the series as the Battalion edged the Mississauga Steelheads 5-4 on Sunday to win the opening round matchup in six games.
Owen Beck, also from Port Hope, and the Peterborough Petes had already advanced to the next round with a four-game sweep over the Sudbury Wolves.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
