Tim Ruhnke – Recorder & Times
They didn’t come home with a win, but they did achieve a goal.
The Brockville Braves will be advancing to the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) playoffs. The Jr. A Braves clinched a post-season berth by picking up a point in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Wolves in Renfrew on Tuesday night.
That gave seventh-place Brockville a five-point lead on Carleton Place and Cornwall with two games to go in the regular season.
The top eight in the 12-team CCHL advance to the playoffs.
After a scoreless first period on Tuesday, Renfrew went up 1-0 on a power-play goal by Dylan Paron at 7:13 of the second. Jesse Lumsden’s 14th goal of the season evened the score at 14:10, and Carter Cuglietta gave the Braves the lead just over a minute later. It was Cuglietta’s fourth goal of the year.
Brockville outshot Renfrew 22-7 in the second period.
The Wolves tied the game when Ethan Ross scored 51 seconds into the third period.
Paron was the only player to score in the first three shootout rounds, so the home team earned the extra point.
Overall, the Braves outshot the Wolves 47-33. Ayo Ogini picked up the win in net for Renfrew; Austin Caley was tagged with the shootout loss.
Paron, Ogini and Lumsden were named first, second and third stars respectively.
Brockville’s captain and assistant captains – Lumsden among them – were not in the Braves’ lineup in their loss to the Bears in Smiths Falls on Sunday but were in the lineup in Renfrew.
The Wolves had already clinched a playoff berth. Renfrew is in sixth place, two points behind Navan, which also won on Tuesday night.
The Braves (22-23-2-6) still have a slim chance of finishing sixth, but are most likely to be the seven-seed in the playoffs, which open next week.
Brockville’s last two games of the regular season are both at home. In what is likely to be a preview of a County Road 29 opening-round series, the Braves will take on the Bears on Friday night at 7:30. Brockville will then host regular-season champion Rockland on Fan Appreciation Night Sunday; puck drops at 7:30.
Original Story at Recorder.ca
