Ben Smith had a pair of goals in Game 5 against the Amherstview Jets on Sunday night. (Jason Parks/Gazette Staff)
High drama in the 2026 Tod Division Quarterfinals has created a series for the ages.
Picton kept their post season plans alive on Sunday night, blanking host Amherstview 4-0 in Game 5, setting up another do-or-die contest at Huff Estates Arena on Tuesday night. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m.
The Jets lead the series 3-2 but it’s the Pirates who have been leading three of the games at the end of 60 minutes in three of the contests.
Protests, ineligible players, suspended coaches. This junior hockey series has had a little bit of everything. And there’s still more high stakes hockey to be played.
After splitting the first two games of their best-of-seven set against the Amherstview Jets, the Picton Pirates figured they had replicated the pattern in Games 3 and 4 as they skated off as victors at Huff Estates Arena Saturday night.
Down 2-1 in games, the Pirates completed a third period comeback to shade the visiting Jets 5-4. Down 4-3 in the third, Liam Philip picked up a loose puck in the slot and managed to beat Jets starter Tyson Wilcox with just under 13 minutes left to square the affair at 4-4.
Under four minutes later, the Pirates gave the 600-plus fans at the rink something to cheer about when they secured their first lead of the contest.
Mr. Wilcox made a smart save on Luc Amat’s shot on a 2-on-1 rush but the rebound hung in the air for a moment. Team captain Gerrit Kempers bunted the puck across the goal line for the game winner and Picton had won Game 4, evening the series 2-2.
But in the words of Jim Carr, “Hold the phone.”
The Jets and General Manager Allan Etmanski spied something suspicious in Picton’s lineup. The club used affiliate player Liam Rice in the game. It was Mr. Rice’s 11th game with Picton, exceeding the number allowed by PJHL regulations by one.
Amherstview protested the game to the league. The results were overturned.
What had been a deadlocked series and shaved down to a Best-of-Three was now 3-1 in favour of the Jets.
On Sunday, before Game 5, Pirates Coach and General Manager Jamie Lane acknowledged the miscalculation.
“As General Manager and Head Coach of the Picton Pirates, I take full ownership of our roster oversight,” Mr. Lane said. “I did not fully understand the application of the AP eligibility rule, and that responsibility rests solely with me not our players.”
But Amherstview wasn’t the only club in the series contacting the league about possible violations. Picton claimed a member of the Amherstview staff–suspended due to infractions incurred in an OMHA game–was seen going in and out of the Jets dressing room prior to Game 4, a potential violation of Hockey Canada rules.
The PJHL found no grounds to investigate this allegation further. The concerns were dismissed.
While they might have lost Game 4 on paper, Picton was the team with all the momentum in Game 5.
Picton opened the scoring early in the first when Isaiah More collected a slick flip pass from line mate Nate Woods and skated in on Amherstview starter Dean Spry. Mr. More went high blocker side to open the scoring at 6:46.
Picton doubled down later in the opening stanza. Keenan Wiles turned a 1-on-3 lone ranger rush into an unassisted scoring play, jetting to the near boards and placing a smart shot past Mr. Spry at 9:15. Mr. Wilcox came on in relief but it didn’t matter much because of Nolan Lane’s brilliance at the other end of the rink. Mr. Lane made 21 saves Sunday including several brilliant ones early on to keep his club in control of the game.
As the contest wore on, the Pirates seemed to be skating downhill. The Jets were essentially vanquished in this game in a three minute span over the end of the second and the start of the third.
Gerrit Kempers sprang Ben Smith on a breakaway with 26 seconds left in the middle frame. The Consecon native made no mistake, putting a nice deke on Mr. Wilcox and pushing Picton’s margin to three at the end of two periods.
Then, just 90 seconds into the third, Mr. Smith collected a Caleb Martin rebound in the slot area and beat Mr. Wilcox for a second time in under three minutes to make it a 4-0 final.
Over 500 fans took in Sunday’s game and the majority of them were rooting for the Pirates. Coach Lane noted their enthusiasm and thanked those fans who made the trek to the W.J. Henderson Arena.
“Last night was a complete team effort,” Mr. Lane told the Gazette. “Our guys were focused, motivated, and committed to playing the right way for a full 60 minutes. After everything surrounding Game 4, the best response we could give was on the ice and I’m proud of how our group answered with a 4-0 performance.”
The Tod Division individual award winners were announced prior to Game 4. Picton’s Cole Mulder, 18, took home the Tod’s Rookie of Year honours for 2025-26. The hulking Guelph, ON native had five goals and nine helpers in 38 games this season and also played a handful of games for the Trenton Golden Hawks of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, registering an assist.
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