Ottawa, ON – Three games were on tap Thursday night in the EOJHL, with Ottawa West lighting up Embrun, Casselman continuing their strong play against Perth, and Smiths Falls taking care of business at home versus Athens.
Ottawa West 7, Embrun 3
The Ottawa West Golden Knights stormed out to an early lead and never looked back, cruising to a 7–3 win over the Embrun Panthers. William McCulligh recorded a hat trick and four points, while Thomas Dickey added a goal and four assists and Justin Murdoch chipped in with three helpers. Antonio Zito, Connor Weido, and Jason Ward also found the back of the net for Ottawa West.
Camden Cunningham-Fetch, Yanick Blanchard, and Samuel Chirico scored for Embrun in the loss. Carter Overhoff stopped 32 shots for the Golden Knights, who improved to 9-0-1-0, while Jackson Howell made 31 saves in relief for the Panthers, who fell to 1-7-2-2.
Casselman 6, Perth 3
A dominant third period powered the Casselman Vikings past the Perth Blue Wings 6–3. Mathieu Cloutier led the way with a goal and three assists, while Tristan Webb added a goal and two helpers. Casey Hayward, Marc-Olivier McCarthy, Jeremy Bessette, and Skyler Beks rounded out the scoring for Casselman.
Max Shewfelt, Jack Weir, and Kaius Newberry replied for Perth, who kept things close until Casselman pulled away in the final frame. Myles Boudreau earned the win with 26 saves, as Casselman improved to 8-2-0-0. Jake Dignard made 42 saves in goal for Perth, who slipped to 3-5-0-1.
Smiths Falls 3, Athens 1
The Smiths Falls Jr. Bears used strong special teams and goaltending to secure a 3–1 home win over the Athens Aeros. Nick Colson and Andrew Hopley gave the Jr. Bears an early cushion, with Hopley’s goal coming on the power play. Caleb Bourne added insurance in the third and finished with two points.
Cameron Kelly scored the lone goal for Athens in the loss. Goaltender Cole King was outstanding for Smiths Falls, stopping 40 of 41 shots, while Carson Garrod turned aside 27 for the Aeros. The victory lifts Smiths Falls to 6-6-0-0, while Athens drops to 3-6-4-0.
