Collingwood's Junior A hockey team returned to the ice for regular season play this weekend, hosting a home opener on the first day of the Ontario Junior Hockey League season (Oct. 1).
Blues coach Rob Bentivegna said in a news release it was great to see regular-season hockey return after "a year away from meaningful hockey."
"The atmosphere in the arena was great, and it was amazing to see the fans and community support behind us," he said.
The Collingwood Blues hosted the Pickering Panthers for two games at the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena this weekend, losing 6-5 in overtime on Oct. 1 and falling 4-2 to the Panthers on Oct. 2.
Opening night saw a crowd of more than 500 at the Eddie Bush, according to a news release from The Blues. The Panthers took the early lead, but The Blues came back to tie the game and send it into overtime. Blues players Jake Kovacs, Cole Hipkin and Will Reddick each scored two points for the home team on Friday night.
Saturday night the Panthers took the early lead again with one in the first period and a final score of 4-2 for Pickering.
"Friday's game didn't start the way we wanted it to, but our staff was proud with the response from the boys," said Bentivegna in the news release. "It would have been easy for them to fold ... but they showed a lot of resilience to come back and force overtime and secure a point."
The Blues will be playing the Aurora Tigers on Oct. 8 at the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena.
