The Collingwood Blues fell to the Ottawa Jr. Senators late Friday in a quarterfinal loss that ended the team's quest for a Centennial Cup.
The Blues lost to the Jr. Senators 4-2 Friday night in a hard-fought battle, finishing their Canadian National Hockey League run for this season.
The first period was a nail-biter, with the Jr. Senators scoring one goal at the 7:33 mark as Chase Lammi (with assists by Mathis Bedard and Massimo Gentile) struck early. At the first-period buzzer, Blues’ Carter Diceman tied the game with an assist by Bryce Sutherland.
In the second period, Jr. Senators’ Vincent Velocci scored at the 3:54 mark with an assist by Liam Lucas.
In the third period, the Blues fought back with a goal at the 15:40 mark by Diceman and an assist by Robert Strachan. However, the Jr. Senators came back strong with two more goals in the last four minutes to clinch the win, both by Mickael Hebert (with assists by Wil Murphy and Massimo Gentile both times).
Blues goalie Noah Pak made 26 saves while the Jr. Senators goalie Rorke Applebee had 32 saves.
The series began May 11 and runs until May 21 at Stride Arena in Portage la Prairie, Man. The winner of the series will take home the Centennial Cup and be the 2023 Canadian National Hockey League champions.
While the Blues have ended their national run for 2023, back home, Collingwood will be hosting a parade for the 2023 Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) Buckland Cup champions to celebrate the team's impressive season on May 27.
The parade will start at 11 a.m. at the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena parking lot and will travel south on Ste. Marie Street, west on Hume Street, north on Hurontario Street, east on Simcoe Street, and then back to the EBMA parking lot.
Participants are encouraged to wear the Collingwood Blues team colours—blue, white, and gold—or their favourite team jersey to support the Blues.
