Ottawa, ON – The #4 seeded Winchester Hawks opened the EOJHL Martin Division Wild Card Round with a statement win on home ice, defeating the #5 Embrun Panthers 4–3 in a tightly contested Game 1. In a best-of-five series packed with playoff intensity, timely scoring and a standout goaltending performance proved to be the difference as Winchester earned the early edge.
Game 1 | Winchester 4, Embrun 3
Embrun struck first and wasted little time asserting itself on special teams. Just under five minutes into the opening period, Xavier Boulanger opened the scoring on the power play, finishing a setup from Andrew Lankester and Yanick Blanchard.
Winchester answered midway through the frame as Kyler Leboutillier buried the Hawks’ first playoff goal of the series off feeds from Ryan Ross and Daniel McDowell to even the score. The Panthers reclaimed the lead late in the period when Noah Rahmer capitalized on a pass from Owen Raine, sending Embrun into the intermission up 2–1.
The momentum shifted early in the second. Just over a minute in, Kaylen Connell tied the game for Winchester after finishing a passing play from Isaac Bradley and Ross. Later in the period, Jack Howell gave the Hawks their first lead of the night, converting a setup from Leonardo Matteucci and Bradley to make it 3–2 heading into the third.
Winchester extended its advantage midway through the final frame when Asher Goldfarb scored on the power play, finishing a feed from Leboutillier to push the lead to 4–2.
Embrun refused to fold. With the extra attacker on late, Wyatt Leblanc narrowed the deficit at 18:37 off assists from Blanchard and Ethan Lamey, setting up a tense final minute. The Hawks held firm, however, closing out the one-goal victory.
Jimmy Boyd was outstanding between the pipes for Winchester, turning aside 47 of 50 shots in a playoff-calibre performance. Jake Dignard made 25 saves for Embrun in the loss.
With the win, Winchester takes a 1–0 series lead in the best-of-five Martin Division Wild Card Round, as the pressure now shifts to Embrun heading into Game 2.
