LOCAL JUNIOR CLUBS WAIT FOR NCJHL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE
The regular season for the National Capital Junior Hockey League is finished and now Prescott-Russell’s three junior club wait for the league to reveal its playoffs schedule.
The Vankleek Hill Cougars, the Saint-Isidore Eagles, and the Clarence Creek Castors of the East Division finished second, third, and fourth overall, out of the 10 clubs in the National Capital Junior Hockey League’s (NCJHL) regular schedule for the 2019-2020 season. The West Division’s South Grenville Rangers emerged as the overall first-place team for the regular season.
Now with their final mid-February schedule finished for the regular season, all three Prescott-Russell clubs wait to find out who they will face in the opening round, later this month, of the NCJHL season playoffs.
The Cougars did not finish their regular season schedule on a winning note. First they lost 2-0 to the Bytown Royals Saturday night, at home, over the February 15 weekend. The Royals needed one more win in the regular season to ensure a better place for themselves in the opening round of the NCJHL playoffs.
Then the Cougars lost their final game Sunday, at home, to the Castors, 3-2. Nicolas Castonguay fired in both of the Vankleek Hill goals, with help from Nikolas Ayotte, Austin Gaspar, and Vincent Huneault.
The Saint-Isidore Eagles gave up a default win to the South Grenville Rangers for Sunday afternoon’s scheduled game at the Cardinal Arena.
The Clarence Creek Castors split their final games of the regular season, with a 4-3 loss at home, last Wednesday night, to the Gatineau Hull-Volant, and a 3-2 win against the Cougars, Sunday afternoon, in Vankleek Hill.
Scoring for Clarence Creek against Gatineau were Jacob Servant with two goals and Nicolas Gaumond with a single and also assisting on one of Servant’s goals. Other goal assists came from Brandon Leqare, Jacob Quennenville, and Gabriel Rousselle.
Leqare punched in a pair of goals Sunday, for Clarence Creek, against Vankleek Hill. Servant tallied a single to help with the win. Goal assists came from Gaumond, Austin LaPrade, and Zack Lugli.