Bruins juggernaut continues to roll over LumberJacks

Roger Varley

Following their demolition of the Caledon Golden Hawks in Round One of the PJHL's (Provincial Junior Hockey League) Orr Division playoffs, the Uxbridge Bruins continued their winning ways on the weekend with two solid wins over the Port Perry LumberJacks in Round Two.

The arch-rivals opened their best-of-seven series at the arena last Friday, with the Bruins doubling the LumberJacks 6-3. Two days later, Uxbridge clobbered Port Perry 7-0 at the Scugog arena.

On Friday, the Bruins scored three unanswered goals in the first period. LumberJacks starting goalie, Eamon Callaghan, faced only three shots, all of which went into the net, before he was pulled in favour of Jacob Walsh. Captain Tanner Ryan opened the scoring, assisted by Jack Kemp, near the midway mark, with Cameron Meek adding another a few minutes later, aided by Jordan Lotton and Trent Nobes. Danny Thomakos then netted the goal that sent Callaghan to the bench.

In the second period, Port Perry managed to score two while Uxbridge scored one, all within the space of one minute. Tucker Roberts notched the Bruins' goal, assisted by Jack Kemp and Ryan.

That scoring was reversed in the third period, with Darin Bain finding the net, assisted by Ryan Shier and Lotton, near the midway point. Port scored one more late in the game but Kemp closed out the scoring with 90 seconds left, assisted by Lotton and Ryan.

Down Reach Street on Sunday, the Bruins opened with an onslaught. Starting goalie Walsh was pulled after the first seven minutes, having let in three goals on four shots. The Bruins welcomed replacement Callaghan with another goal before the period ended. Two more, including a power-play marker, came in the second period and the Bruins added one more in the third.

Roberts and Jack Kemp combined to produce three of the goals, while Ryan Shier had a goal and two assists and the two Kemp lads had three assists each.

The two teams were scheduled to face each other again at the arena on Tuesday, with a fourth game to be played in Port Perry on Wednesday. The games are set to start at 7:45 p.m. and 7:25 p.m. respectively. If a fifth game is necessary, it will get under way Friday at the arena at 7:45 p.m.

In the other semi-final, the Georgina Ice and the Clarington Eagles are tied at one game apiece, each winning on the opponent's ice. In the first game, the Eagles downed the Ice 4-2 and then Georgina came back with a 7-4 win.

In the six playoff games they have played so far, the Bruins have scored 66 goals, while allowing only five, for the best playoff scoring record in the entire PJHL.

On a sadder note, Rowen Greening, a 12-year-old hockey player with the North Durham Warriors, died recently following a quad-bike accident. Prior to Sunday's game in Port Perry, the Uxbridge Bruins and Port Perry LumberJacks joined together for a pre-game ceremony celebrating the life of the local player. Several hockey associations have paid tribute to Rowen online. He was part of the North Durham Warriors U12 AA team and was known for his leadership, positivity, and love for the game. The hockey community is also honoring him by placing two hockey sticks at the doors to their homes.