Bruins winning streak ends with a shutout

Roger Varley

An impressive winning streak by the Uxbridge Bruins to open the 2025-26 season came to a sudden stop at the arena last Friday when the Georgina Ice blanked the home squad 3-0. Before that loss, the Bruins were, briefly, the only team in the entire PJHL to have won every game.

The Bruins extended their winning streak to 14 last Thursday when they defeated the Schomberg Cougars 6-4. That same night, the Alliston Hornets, the only other unbeaten team, lost their first game. However, the game was something of a warning for the Bruins. Although they took a three-goal lead late into the second period, the Cougars gave them a scare by scoring three power-play goals. As well, goalie Robbie DiMaria faced only 18 shots, while Schomberg's goalie faced 44.

Tanner Ryan opened the scoring late in the first period, assisted by Jack Kemp and Ryan Shier. Jordan Fitger scored midway through the second, with Kemp and Ryan assisting, and Darin Bain made it 3-0 with a power-play marker as the period wound down. That's when the Cougars scored their first power-play goal.

With less than a minute gone in the third period, the Bruins added two more, courtesy of Tucker Roberts, aided by Josh Hall and Cameron Meek, and Devin Hollands' unassisted goal. But then the Cougars scored three in a row at the midway point, two of them on the power play, to make the score 5-4. Fitger finally added a last goal with just over two minutes left on the clock, assisted by Hollands and Kemp.

At the arena the next night, following the traditional annual Remembrance Day visit by the Uxbridge Legion and with a crowd on boisterous Georgina fans on hand, the Bruins and Ice treated the fans to a fast and furious, end-to-end battle in the scoreless first period, which saw only a handful of stoppages in plays.

The Ice opened the scoring early in the second period and added a second near the midway mark. The Bruins appeared to be back on their heels for most of the period. Late in the period, the Bruins found themselves two men short for 70 seconds, leading to Georgina's third goal on the power play. There was no scoring in the third.

The Ice outhustled, outmuscled and outplayed the Bruins for a full two periods and the Bruins' reign as the only undefeated team in the PJHL lasted just one day.

The Cosmos chose Evan Gilbert as player of the game for Uxbridge and selected goalie Aidan Lindsay for the Ice.

The Bruins return to action tomorrow night (Friday) at 7:45 p.m when they host Schomberg and then travel to Caledon to meet the Golden Hawks on Sunday afternoon.