Glengarry Brigade notch first ever playoff win
Opening round of EOJHL playoffs sees Brigade split first two games with Embrun Panthers
The first-year Glengarry Brigade are heading into game three of the EOJHL playoffs riding a victory after topping the Embrun Panthers 5-2 in Alexandria last night.
Five different members of the Brigade (Nolan MacMillan, Derek Larocque, Manny Benoit, Evan Bothwell, and Matheason Cameron) scored in the win. A.J. Alejandrino led all point-getters with three assists. Also notching helpers for Glengarry were Connor MacDonald, Zach Boltz, Kaden Myre, Benoit, Bothwell, and Declan McDonald.
Maxime Mayer backstopped the win, stopping 25 of 27 shots he faced.
The victory came a day after the Brigade dropped the series opener in Embrun, 3-2. Glengarry led twice in the game, only to see the Panthers battle back.
McDonald gets credit for scoring Glengarry’s first ever playoff goal, set up by Cameron and MacDonald at the 4:49 mark of the opening period. After Embrun drew even 13 minutes into the second stanza, the Brigade’s Benoit, assisted by Simon Gibeault and Myre, restored the advantage.
However, in the third frame, the Panthers potted a pair, en route to the 3-2 win. All three Embrun goals were scored by Marc-Antoine Petrut, who was named the game’s first star. Goaltender Mayer, who turned aside all but three of the 36 shots he faced, earned second star honours.
In game two, the Brigade managed to hold Petrut to just an assist in his team’s loss. Mayer was tagged as first star, with Alejandrino picking up second star honours.
The 2024-25 junior ‘B’ hockey season marked the first for the Glengarry Brigade, which was formed last spring when the Alexandria Glens and Char-Lan Rebels amalgamated with the aim of being stronger together.
Game three of the best-of-five series is scheduled for February 25 in Embrun (8:30 p.m. start), with game four back in Alexandria the next night (8 p.m. start). Should a fifth match be needed, it will be played February 28 in Embrun starting at 8 p.m.
Glengarry completed regular-season play in fifth place of the Martin Division, earning the final playoff spot. The Panthers finished fourth, six points ahead of the Brigade. The winner of the series gets the prize of playing the top-ranked Casselman Vikings in the next round.
By contrast, here is how the table looked a year ago at the conclusion of the 2023-24 regular season.
Interestingly, the Brigade finished with 19 wins this season, the same as the total for the Rebels and Glens last year.