Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Following two anything but ‘normal’ hockey seasons, the Napanee Raiders and Deseronto Bulldogs are gearing up for what they hope will be a lot less chaotic-at least off the ice.
The Napanee Raiders have three pre-season dates booked ahead of their PJHL Junior C regular season, starting Aug. 28 with a 2 p.m. matinee meeting with the Picton Pirates at the Wellington and District Community Centre. From there they’ll take part in a home-and-home with the North Kawartha Knights of the Orr Division, starting Sept. 3 in Kawartha. On Sept. 9 the Knights will be in Napanee for a 7:30 p.m. match at the Strathcona Paper Centre. This mini exhibition series marks the only time they’ll face a cross-division rival, save for the playoffs should they make it that far. All regular season games will be contained to within the Tod Division again this year.
Following that final tune-up the games will start to count in the standings with Opening Night of the PJHL set for Sept. 16 when the Amherstview Jets visit Napanee. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m. at the SPC.
From that point on Napanee will resume its regular Friday night home games throughout the season which runs September through February, all with 7:30 p.m. start times. Napanee’s final game of the regular season is slated for Feb. 25 in Frankford against the Huskies.
Trevor Withers makes a pad save during a game between the Bulldogs and the Rideaus. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
As for the Deseronto Bulldogs, they’ll begin their third Eastern Ontario Super Hockey league season on Sept. 24 when they travel to the Cataraqui Arena to take on the Frontenac Phantoms for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop.
They’ll return home for the second game of their season on Oct. 1 when they welcome the South Stormont Mustangs to the Deseronto Community Rec Centre. Game time is 6:30 p.m.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to play 20 regular season games, split evenly between home and away. Their full schedule can be seen at https://eoshl.hockeyshift.com/stats#/988/team/189697/schedule.