After back-to-back drubbings to close out October, the month of November appears to be sitting just fine with the Picton Pirates.

The club has rolled to a 4-0-0 record to kick off the month and whatever was troubling the Provincial Junior Hockey Club appears to be in its wake. Picton won back-to-back games this weekend, quieting the visiting Trent Hills Thunder on Thursday and then taming the host Port Hope Panthers Friday.

With the pair of wins, Picton (11-5-0) moved into a tie with the Napanee Raiders for third place in the Tod Division and trail second place Amherstview by two points with a game in hand on the Jets.

Whitewash

After Picton and goalie Nolan Lane blanked the Thunder in Trent Hills 3-0 last Sunday, the visitors were stymied again by the locals.

The Pirates beat a path to the Trent Hills net early and often. Picton’s energy line of Parker Mattis, Colby Leaver and Nolan Rosebush turned in instant results as Mr. Mattis fired from the slot just 20 seconds in to bag the winning goal.

Trent Hills probably knew they were in for a long night when Rheydan McCoy blasted home a power play tally at 2:38.

Picton’s star rookie Trevor Brooks would pot his 6^th goal and first of two on this night thanks to a great pass from Luc Amat at 15:01 of the first.

Picton poured it on in the second. Gerrit Kempers lit the lamp at 2:14 for his 9^th of the campaign and Cole Stevenson added his 6^th of the year midway through the middle stanza.

In the late going of the frame, first year Pirate Sam McDonald picked up a loose puck at centre ice and sniped a shorthanded breakaway tally at 16:22.

There were some fireworks in the third as Reese Kleinsteuber and Hyden Rivette duked it out at the start of the frame. Then, during a mix up part way through the period, Mr. McGrayne and Trent Hills goalie Ayden Harper left their respective creases and nearly engaged in some fisticuffs. Cooler heads did prevail and Mr. Lane was pressed into service to close out the game and wound up splitting the goose egg with this crease mate.

Slow Start, Hot Finish

In Port Hope on Friday the Pirates were able to shake off some bus legs late in and score six straight against the Panthers in a 7-2 win.

After Aiden Treverton scored in the opening moments of the game, Port Hope’s Blake Hudson and Dailen Fousek scored late in the first to make a one goal deficit into a 2-1 advantage.

But Picton came out firing in the second and put the Cats to bed with four goals in the period.

Mr. Treverton doubled down at 7:05 to square the affair at 2-2.

Just 43 seconds later, Mr. McDonald got his second in as many games thanks to help from rookie Keagan Carr and Kirk Stevenson.

Picton’s goal armada continued to steam ahead as rearguard Will Potts potted his third of the year thanks to a sharp pass from Mr. Amat.

Finally, Mr. Kempers zipped home his 10^th of the season at 13:25 while Picton worked a power play.

In the third, Kirk Stevenson showed a nice nose for the net, taking a loose puck and beating Brett Foreman to the goal line at 4:42 and then elder brother Cole redirected a pass from Mr. Treverton at 7:34 to finish the scoring.

Picton hosts North Kawartha on Thursday and then make their first trip into the frozen bathtub known as the Lakefield Smith Community Centre for a Saturday night date with the Chiefs.