The PJHL regular season began in earnest for Quinte’s four local teams over the weekend, with good early success.
FRIDAY
RAIDERS 4 CHIEFS 2
The Napanee Raiders opened their season with a 4-2 victory at Best & Bash Arena versus the Lakefield Chiefs on Friday night.
Mason Goodfellow came up clutch with the game-winner in the third period and added an empty-netter for good measure to lift the always dangerous Raiders on top.
Ryan Aldridge and Brody Nielissen had Napanee’s other goals, with assists going to Carter Hartwick, Ryan McGee, Eric Taher and Zered Haller.
Jacob Brown was the winning goalie with 38 saves on 40 shots.
SATURDAY
HUSKIES 5 PIRATES 4 (SO)
The defending Tod Division champion Frankford Huskies required a shootout to win their home opener over the Picton Pirates on a thrilling Saturday night.
Former Trenton Golden Hawk and new Husky Thomas Kuipers notched a hat trick in his first PJHL game and ex-Wellington Duke Evan Erwin buried the lone goal of the shootout to cinch the win in his first game of his second stint in a Frankford uniform.
Gage Butcher added the other regulation goal for Frankford, Brock Davy and Deke Osterhout added two assists each and Erwin, Riley Grimmon and goaltender Liam Boyer drew single helpers.
Keenan Wiles had a goal an assist for Picton, while Isiah More, Jake Vandenburg, and Jaxson Payne each scored once.
Other assists went to Kempers, Caleb Doyle and Blake Brown.
Boyer made 28 saves, with Charlie Vos making four stops in a brief appearance and Cohen Bedore denied 45 Huskies opportunities.
SUNDAY
THUNDER 2 PIRATES 1 (SO)
Coulter Trudeau buried the winner in the fourth round of the shootout as the Trent Hills Thunder got their 2026-27 season off on the right foot.
Logan Vale was the backbone of the win in his Thunder debut, making 46 saves in regulation and overtime and kicking out all five Picton shootout attempts.
Matthew Hinan got Trent Hills on the board in the first with a little more than eight minutes to go in the period from Lucas Desautl and Tait Rosborough.
Joey Coates buried his first of the season at 4:35 of the second, assisted by Kempers.
The goaltenders then took over, with Vale and Picton’s Nick Parodo (28 saves in the game) shutting the door through the rest of regulation and seven minutes of extra time.
Trent Hills has a winning record for the first time in their history since rebranding from the Campbellford Rebels, while Picton falls to 0-2.
HUSKIES 4 JETS 1
The Frankford Huskies capped off a two-for-two opening weekend with a road win in Amherstview, led by Erwin’s three points.
Frankford fell behind 1-0 on Ryan Carter Babcock’s goal, before rallying for four unanswered.
Grimmon and Ty Leavitt found the net in less than two minutes in the first, before Erwin potted two insurance markers to ground the Jets.
Assists went to Erwin, Nolan Donnelly, Kuipers, Chris Brydges, Butcher and Osterhout.
Vos made 16 saves as Frankford outshot Amherstview 39-17.
ON THE DOCKET:
Friday, September 18
Huskies @ Raiders 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 19
Lakefield Chiefs @ Huskies 7 p.m.
Amherstview Jets @ Thunder 7 p.m.
Raiders @ Port Hope Panthers 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 20
Lakefield Chiefs @ Thunder 4:30 p.m.
Pirates @ Amherstview Jets 7:30 p.m.
