Peterborough Jr. C Lakers Move Within One Win of Meredith Cup Final

By Scott Arnold

The Peterborough Jr. C Lakers are one victory away from the Meredith Cup Final after opening their semifinal series with a pair of home wins over the Cornwall Celtics this weekend.

birthday boy braxton howard celebrates as the peterborough jr c lakers take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five semifinal series with the cornwall celtics (photo courtesy of the jr. c lakers, via christine liu)

Peterborough earned an 8-5 victory in Game 1 on Saturday before following it up with a 10-5 win on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

Goaltender Braden Hockaday picked up both wins, helping hold the Celtics to five goals in each game. The Lakers also outshot Cornwall 43-34 in Saturday's opener and 51-42 in Game 2.

Saturday's series opener was a tightly played game early, with Peterborough carrying a 1-0 lead into the second period before pulling away with seven goals over the final two periods. Kennen Withers scored twice, while Ryder Perry and Braxtin Howard each finished with two goals and two assists. Logan Giroux and Jordan Garfat also scored.

The Lakers carried that momentum into Sunday's game, building a 2-1 lead after the first period before extending their advantage with four goals in both the second and third periods. Perry led the offence with a hat trick and three assists, while Howard scored twice. Kennen Withers, Ryder Evans, Owen Thake and Ricky Bevan also found the back of the net.

Peterborough will have its first opportunity to clinch a berth in the Meredith Cup Final when Game 3 is played Friday at 8:30 pm in Cornwall. If necessary, Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday at 5 pm, with a deciding Game 5 set for Sunday at 2 pm, also in Cornwall.

The winner of the series will advance to the Meredith Cup Final. The other semifinal between the Whitby Warriors and Six Nations Stealth is tied at one game apiece.

Scott Arnold is a Journalist and Content Creator at PTBOCanada Media Inc

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