Tim Ruhnke – Recorder & Times
Looks like they might need to make the most of those games in hand.
The Brockville Braves are clinging to a playoff spot with five weeks to go in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) regular season. The Jr. A Braves (17-18-1-4) are in eighth place following losses to the Carleton Place Canadians at home Friday night and the league-leading Nationals in Rockland on Saturday night.
With a victory in Pembroke Sunday afternoon, Carleton Place is now two points ahead of Brockville, but the Braves have played six fewer games than the Canadians.
It’s tight in the lower midsection of the CCHL standings. The Renfrew Wolves trail Brockville by one point, with the Braves having one game in hand. The Hawkesbury Hawks are in 10th place two points behind Brockville, although the Hawks have played three more games than the Braves.
The top eight teams at the end of the regular season in mid-March advance to the CCHL playoffs.
Nats win 40th
Brockville managed to stay close to the top-ranked Jr. A team in Canada for much of the game in Rockland on Saturday. Jeremy Belleau gave the Nationals an early lead 58 seconds into the first period, but the Braves evened the score 19 seconds before intermission on Jesse Lumsden’s 11th goal of the season.
Mavrick Brunet scored on a power play to make it 2-1 for the home team at 13:58 of the second. Rockland went up by two at 16:43 on Gabriel Le Houillier’s league-leading 49th goal of the year.
Cohen Gill cut the lead in half at 17:57; it was his second goal of the season.
The Nationals outshot the Braves 31-13 in the first 40 minutes and then pulled away in the third period. Alex Kelloway scored twice, and Mathis Baril added a single to make the final 6-2.
Kelloway and Baril were the first and second stars. Brockville goalie Oliver Li, who made 41 saves in the loss, was named third star. Ty Ferguson stopped 19 shots and picked up the victory in net for the Nationals.
At home the previous night, the Braves outshot the Canadians but ended up losing in a matchup that was much closer than the final score of 5-2 might suggest.
Dryden Dervish’s 13th goal of the season gave Brockville a 1-0 lead on a power play at 9:47 of the first period. Zachary Lapier evened the score at 11:10, and Bowden Beal made it 2-1 for Carleton Place at 14:28.
Just over a minute later, Braves captain Kayden Buller scored his 13th goal of the year to tie the game.
The Canadians went out in front on a goal from Jordan Perrier at 9:43 of the second period.
Trailing late in the third, Brockville goalie Austin Caley headed for the bench with about 1:42 to go in regulation. Jaxon McVie Stevenson scored into the empty net at 18:42. The Braves went with the extra skater again a short time later; Chris Neil’s empty-netter with 16 seconds rounded out the scoring.
Charlie Larocque made 33 saves for Carleton Place. Caley, who had picked up the shutout in Kemptville on Wednesday night, stopped 26 of 29 shots.
Perrier and Lapier received the first and second stars. Third star went to Carter Cuglietta of Brockville.
Attendance at the Memorial Centre was listed at 165.
Carleton Place, which opened the season with just one win in 14 games in September and October, is 9-4 since the Christmas break.
Brockville is 4-8 to start 2026.
It will be a three-game long weekend for the Braves. Brockville will host last-place Pembroke (9-28-1-1) on Friday night at 7:30 and play the fifth-place Grads (20-15-5-1) in Navan on Sunday afternoon at 3:30.
The Braves will then face the sixth-place Colts (21-22-1-1) in a Family Day matinee in Cornwall on Monday at 2 o’clock.
Original Story at Recorder.ca
