Ottawa, ON – A busy Thursday night in the EOJHL saw statement wins, tight finishes, and strong goaltending performances across the board. Ottawa West closed the gap atop the league standings with a commanding shutout over Ottawa, Richmond earned an important road victory in Smiths Falls to move back above .500, and Casselman continued its surge by scoring four unanswered to take down Renfrew.
Ottawa West 6 Ottawa 0
Ottawa West took control early and never let up, handing the Ottawa Jr. Canadians a rare shutout loss on the road. Justin Murdoch opened the scoring five minutes in before William McCulligh added back-to-back goals—including a power-play marker—to give the Golden Knights a 3–0 lead after one. Thomas Dickey added his 26th of the year in the second period, and Connor Cole scored shorthanded in the third before McCulligh completed the hat trick to close out a four-point night. Dustin Riff was perfect, stopping all 33 shots for the shutout, while Darcy Murphy turned aside 33 of 39 for Ottawa. Ottawa West improves to 17-2-2-0 and sits just two points back of first overall, while Ottawa falls to 19-3-0-0.
Richmond 3 Smiths Falls 2
Richmond built an early lead and held firm late to secure a 3–2 win in Smiths Falls. Tyson MacCoubrey started the scoring on a first-period power play, followed minutes later by Ethan Fleming’s eighth of the season to make it 2–0. The Bears responded through Caleb Bourne, who would later add an assist for a multi-point night, but the Royals restored their cushion in the second when Bryce Hetherington buried his third of the year. Smiths Falls tightened things up in the third with a power-play goal from Aidan Conroy, assisted by Timothy Bourne and Caleb Bourne, but Sam Nolan shut the door the rest of the way, finishing with 29 saves. Cole King made 30 stops for Smiths Falls, who drop to 8-14-0-0, while Richmond improves to 10-9-0-1.
Casselman 4 Renfrew 1
Renfrew struck just 35 seconds into the game, but Casselman responded with four straight goals to take a 4–1 win at home. Jackson Andrews opened the scoring early for the Timberwolves, with Logan Fleury and Liam Haggerty drawing assists. The Vikings answered quickly—Thomas Ranger tied the game before Skyler Beks gave Casselman the lead at the seven-minute mark. Ranger added his second late in the first, and Alexis Lafrance sealed the win with an empty-netter in the dying seconds. Marc-Olivier McCarthy and Tristan Simoneau each collected two assists, while Myles Boudreau stood tall with 24 saves. Dawson Zadorozny turned in a strong 41-save effort for Renfrew, who fall to 9-11-1-0. Casselman improves to 15-4-0-0.
