Gerrit Kempers set up the game winning goal on Thursday in Picton’s 7-4 win over visiting Trent Hills. (Jason Parks/Gazette Staff)
The special teams of the Picton Pirates weren’t very special on Sunday as the locals lost their second game of the weekend to the host Lakefield Chiefs 7-3.
After defeating the Trent Hills Thunder at home on Thursday, the Bucs travelled to Napanee Friday and Lakefield Sunday and dropped both road games. Their record stands at 18-13-8. Picton is two points clear of fifth place Amherstview with a half dozen games to play. A pair of those contests are against the Jets.
If the locals want to host Game One of the PJHL Playoffs, it’s clear at this stage of the season they need to find a way to play more 5-on-5 hockey. Or at least avoid the sin bin at all cost.
The Chiefs clicked for seven goals on the man advantage as Picton could not cool off the Lakefield power play. Picton’s beleaguered penalty kill unit currently stands 59th overall in the Provincial Junior Hockey League with a 64.4 percent kill rate. Only Port Hope, Wingham and Lucan are worse at playing a man down.
On the other side of the puck, the Pirates are fifth overall in the PJHL on their power play. Two of their three goals on Sunday in Lakefield came on the man advantage. At home on Thursday, Picton went 4 for 7 whilst playing a player up.
However, the Pirates have also given up a dozen shorthanded goals this season. That eye watering total leads the Tod Division. Only Hagersville and Lucan have given up more shorties in 2025-26.
The Pirates got off to a great start on Sunday, putting together one of their strongest road periods of the season.
Maddox Dwyer found Isaiah More lurking in the slot 2:35 into the game to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Lakefield’s Caleb Bidgood tied up the game on the power play at 8:47 but Picton took a two goal spread to the dressing room thanks to a pair of power play tallies.
Mr. More made a slick pass to the far side of the ice and found defender Will Potts who fired home his first of the season at 15:44, reestablishing Picton’s one goal lead.
Inside the final minute of the first, the Pirates added to their total. Colby Leaver picked up Tyler Braund’s point shot off the boards and beat Lakefield starter Braeden Derks to the goal line with 23 seconds left to make it 3-1.
After a great opening period, the Pirates put forth one of their worst of the season in the second. Five different Lakefield shooters lit the lamp in the middle frame on the power play. That figure might be a franchise record for power play goals against in a single 20 minute stanza.
Mr. Leaver was whistled for a major head checking penalty in the 16th minute of the second and Lakefield scored a pair of power play goals at the end of that period and one more at the start of the third.
On Friday, the Pirates couldn’t shake a tough start in a 6-2 setback at the Best and Bash Arena Outshot 11-4 and down 2-0 after one, Picton solved Jacob Brown early in the second. Defenceman Nate Woods took a Luc Amat pass and rifled home his 5th of the season at three minutes.
Napanee superpest Spencer Cranley added his second of the contest at the midway point of the frame in the second.
In the third, Napanee’s Jobey Pearson extended the Raiders lead to 4-1 but a minute later, the Pirates got back into the game inside a minute of the Napanee marker. Ben Smith took out a pair of defenders, allowing Keenan Wiles to convert a wrap-around to make the score 4-2.
Picton lifted starter Nolan Lane for an extra attacker but the hosts squashed the comeback bid with a pair of empty netters.
On Thursday, Picton survived a second period scare from the visiting Thunder to skate away from Trent Hills 7-4.
Rookie Wes Jackson opened the scoring 2:18 in by converting a centring feed from Mr. Amat who also set up Gerrit Kempers later in the period on a power play goal.
Trent Hills Captain Brody Brooks got the visitors on the scoreboard at 11:41 but Picton regained their two goal cushion near the end of the frame.
Mr. Wiles picked up a rebound off the stick of Mr. Smith and swept the disc into the Trent Hills net with 3:19 left in the period.
In the second, Trent Hills had some jump and tied the game early in the frame with a pair of Pirates getting involved in the scoring. Luke Wilkes streaked out of the penalty box at the end of a Picton power play and tipped a Russ Duguay shot past Nick Parodo at 5:42. Less than 30 seconds later, Reese Kleinsteuber found Coulter Trudeau in the slot area for a game tying effort.
Tied at 3-3, Mr. Parado came up with a pair of clutch saves and allowed Picton to find their footing.
Just under a minute after Trent Hills tied the game, Mr. Amat was able to shovel home a puck from two feet out and put Picton back into the driver’s seat to stay.
Cole Stevenson potted a pair of powerplay goals while Mr. Amat also scored a man advantage maker in the third.
The Pirates host Lakefield on Thursday and travel to Frankford on Saturday.
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