Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Almost a year to the date the Napanee Raiders and Picton Pirates met in Game 1 of the never-completed 2020 Tod Division Finals, the two clubs kicked off a bubble exhibition series Friday at the SPC.
Similar to the Raiders’ series with the Amherstview Jets in December, no fans were allowed inside the arena. Instead it was a chance for both clubs to get a look at some of their recent acquisitions and get some modified game action as they prepare for what they hope is a ‘normal’ regular season in September.
As with the Jets series, Friday’s match against the Pirates was broken down into two mini games to allow for more players to see ice time while adhering to social distancing protocols.
The Raiders swept both games, taking a 5-1 victory in Game 1 followed by a 3-0 shutout win in the second game.
In the first game, Cameron Krupa notched a pair of goals to lead the way. Matt Poole, picked up in a trade with the Gananoque Islanders just a week earlier, had a goal in his debut while Noah Westwater and Logan White also recorded goals. Bailey Maracle earned the win in net.
Aidan Johnson, who was also acquired with Poole from the Islanders, scored in Napanee’s second game. Johnny Wright and Devon King also added goals in support of Mitch Bown who was perfect in net.
The two teams will meet again next Friday and then once more on March 19 to close out the exhibition series, all at the Strathcona Paper Centre. Fans will not be allowed to attend any of the games as per COVID-19 safety protocols.
Napanee held a 2-0 series lead in the finals back in March of 2020 before Hockey Canada suspended all games on March 13. Last week’s meeting, though just an exhibition, marked the first time the two clubs had faced-off since then.
-When the Tod Division does resume regular season play, ideally in the fall, it may very well be without the Islanders. Speaking to the Kingston Whig Standard last week, Islanders team owner Randy Casford said the team has ceased operations and has been put up for sale. Unless another community purchases the team, they will fold. The news comes just weeks after the Eastern Ontario Super Hockey League announced a Gananoque franchise had joined its senior league. The Islanders sought no players in return for their trade with the Raiders earlier this month, instead accepting player development fees.
Founded in 1972 as a Junior C franchise, the Islanders played as a Junior B from 1986 to 2015 before joining the PJHL’s Empire B Junior C League. They made the playoffs in their Empire debut, getting swept by the Port Hope Panthers. The next year they again qualified for the playoffs, losing in five games to the Napanee Raiders. After failing to make the playoffs for two straight years, they returned last year but were swept by the Napanee Raiders in the league’s semifinals.
With the Islanders out of the division, the Raiders will be left to compete against the Pirates, Jets, Panthers and Campbellford Rebels.