Junior C hockey underway across Ontario

By Brian Lockhart

Small-town hockey is underway in Ontario, with towns across the province cheering on their Junior teams as they vie for division and conference titles for a chance to compete for the provincial Schmalz Cup.

With 61 teams and eight divisions, the Provincial Junior Hockey League is the largest Junior hockey league in the world.

Locally, the North Carruthers Division regular season schedule got underway on September 14.

There are nine teams in the division this season – all are returning teams from last year.

The defending champions, the Stayer Siskins, are hoping for a repeat victory this year. They won the Conference last year and went to the Schmalz Cup final tournament.

It's still early in the season, but after eight games, the Alliston Hornets have moved into first place with a 6-2 record. The Hornets have taken losses to Penetang and Orillia so far this season.

The Stayner Siskins are in second place with five wins after seven times on the ice. They lost their first match-up with Alliston this year when the Hornets shut them down for a 3-1 win on October 6.

The Schomberg Cougars, who finished in third place last year, are once again in the number three spot after seven games. The Cougars have a 5-2 record so far this season.

They are followed by the Orillia Terriers, who have taken one loss but only played five games so far, so it's too early to tell how things will shape up for the Terriers.

In fifth place, the Penetang Kings can't get on the plus side yet. After eight games, they have a 3-4-1 record, including one overtime loss.

The Huntsville Otters are in sixth place with a 3-4 record. They are followed by the Caledon Golden Hawks in seventh place. After nine games, the Hawks have a 3-5-1 record.

In the number eight spot, the Midland Flyers have a 2-4 record, including one overtime loss.

In the basement, the Innisfil Spartans have yet to win a game after seven times on the ice.

The PJHL regular season schedule runs through to Feb. 25, before heading into the playoffs.