The Tavistock Braves face the Wellesley Applejacks tonight at the Tavistock and District Recreation Centre for game one of their Provincial Junior Hockey League Doherty Division semi-final series.
Wellesley took the season series, winning four of the six matchups. The Braves downed the Applejacks 4-2 in their last meeting on Jan. 30. Each game was decided by two goals or less.
Tavistock general manager Brent Lange said his team matches up very well with Wellesley and is expecting a great series.
“They’re playing some of their best hockey right now, but I think if you look at our record in the last two months, so are we. We won 10 of our last 11 games of the year and got a point in the last game as well. So, 21 of 22 points in the last 11 games of the regular season, and won our first playoff round in four straight. I think that is playing some pretty good hockey as well if you ask me.”
Lange said his team didn’t have its final roster for the first five matchups with the Applejacks, but the last game was different.
“We finally had our team against them and outplayed them for about 50 minutes basically and even had two shorthanded goals as well. But the regular season is in the past now, and it doesn’t mean anything anymore. It’s about who wins four games first now.”
The Braves were led offensively in round one by defenceman Keaton Bartlett, who racked up 10 points in four games.
“He did struggle a bit throughout the season, but he’s always been able to bounce back bigger and stronger from it. Things are going well for him of late, and we want to keep that going for him,” said Lange.
“He is a great leader for us who works hard every night, no matter the outcome. He is a great heads-up D-man who moves very well and gets pucks on net. It’s exciting to know we still have him for two more years.”
Wellesley defenceman Riley Noble has been that team’s top performer so far in the playoffs, earning nine points in four games. Noble had 40 points in the regular season, second in team scoring behind Ian Speiran. In round one, eight Applejacks players averaged a point or more per game.
Wellesley is coming off a four-game sweep of Hespeler, a series where the Applejacks outscored the Shamrocks 21-9.
