Recorder & Times – Tim Ruhnke
They opened on a winning note.
With the Clarkson University Pep Band on hand, the Brockville Braves launched their 2025-2026 Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) regular season with a 6-4 victory at home against the Carleton Place Canadians on Friday night. The Braves managed to overcome some early adversity and shift the momentum.
Nathan Landriault gave the Canadians the lead at 1:42 of the first period, and Carleton Place was looking for more a short time later while on a five-on-three advantage. But Peter Legostaev, one of Brockville’s assistant captains, took the puck down the right side and put in a short-hander at 5:37 to even the score. The home team then killed off both penalties.
Captain Kayden Buller gave the Braves a 2-1 lead on a power-play goal at 16:26. Brockville went up 3-1 on a goal from Volodymyr Karpachov at 3:48 of the second period, and Vital Dinis made it 4-1 for the home team at 5:37.
Carleton Place, which had lost its season-opener in Cornwall the previous night, cut into the lead on goals by Parker Tam and Mason Walker. But Legostaev’s power-play goal 40 seconds into the third period would prove to the game-winner. Ryan McNally, one of the other assistant captains, added an insurance marker at 8:07. Walker closed out the scoring at 12:11.
Brockville outshot Carleton Place 39-34. Nate Galbraith picked up the win in net for the Braves; William Ross was in goal for the Canadians.
First star went to Legostaev, who also chipped in with an assist on his three-point night. McNally, who had two assists of his own, was named second star. Third star went to Carleton Place’s Truan Conrad, who picked up three assists.
A crowd of 545 was on hand at the Memorial Centre for the home opener.
Brockville’s second game of the regular season is at Nepean on Wednesday night. The Braves will open a home-and-home with the Pembroke Lumber Kings on Friday; puck drops at 7:30. Pembroke hosts the rematch Sunday night.
Brockville finished the 2024-2025 season tied for sixth place in the 12-team Jr. A league and lost to Navan in game seven of their opening-round playoff series.
Bears romp
Smiths Falls opened the new regular season with a 9-2 win at home against Pembroke on Friday night. Jackson Heron racked up four goals – including a power-play marker and a shorty – in the first period to earn the first-star honour.
The Bears outshot the visiting Lumber Kings 60-21. Rafael Tremblay got the win in net.
Smiths Falls went on to drop a 7-6 decision in OT to the Hawks in Hawkesbury on Saturday night.
Tyson Parker of the Bears racked up nine points in the first two games of the year and leads the CCHL scoring race. Parker finished fourth in league scoring last season.
Smiths Falls will host the Kemptville 73’s on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The 73’s opened their season with a 3-2 loss at home to Cornwall Friday night. Kemptville went on to lose in Rockland on Saturday night. Alexis Beaulieu’s power-play goal in the first period gave the visitors the lead, but the defending-champion Nationals went on to score six unanswered goals in periods two and three.
Rockland swept Carleton Place in the CCHL finals this past spring after a 4-3 series win over Smiths Falls in the semi-finals. The Bears had finished fourth overall.
Kemptville ended the 2024-2025 regular season tied with Brockville. The seventh-seeded 73’s were then swept by the Canadians in the quarter-finals.
(Catch up on what is happening throughout Eastern Ontario with our Midday Roundup. Click here to sign up for the free newsletter, which will be delivered to your inbox every weekday.)
Original Story at Recorder.ca
