COCHRANE, Ont. – The Kingston Voyageurs (OJHL) are Polar Bear Classic champions for a second straight year.
The Ontario Junior Hockey League side claimed their latest PBC title Sunday evening after edging the host Cochrane Crunch of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League 2-1 at Tim Horton Event Centre.
Kingston ran the table in the four-team Jr. A division going a perfect 5-0 while second place Cochrane went 3-2 overall.
The final saw Alex Brisson give the Crunch an early lead as he beat Voyageurs starter Trevor Withers at 3:17.
Kingston came back with the equalizer later in the first period on a Reid Russell effort.
The OJHL club would get the game-winner midway through the contest on an unassisted goal courtesy of the Vees’ Cole Edwards.
The two sides tightened up defensively from there with netminders Withers and Cochrane’s Taylor Unruh standing tall the rest of the way in keeping opposing shooters at bay the rest of the way.
A late man advantage and an extra attacker with an empty net gave the Crunch an opportunity to notch the equalizer and force overtime, but after a close call the score remained the same before time expired.
Withers made 29 saves to record the win for Kingston while Unruh also had 29 stops in the narrow defeat.
AAA MIDGET FINAL: In the title game in the AAA midget division, it was the Timmins Majors who prevailed in that one after skating to a 6-3 triumph over the Soo Highland Ford Thunderbirds at THEC.
After the two sides both scored twice in the opening period with Gabby Kioki and Riley Robitaille netting markers for Timmins and Justin Mauro as well as Michael Chaffay connecting for Sault Ste. Marie, the Majors broke it open with four unanswered tallies in the middle session.
Riley Brousseau and Robitaille on the power play along with Brennan Martel and Brousseau made it 6-2 Timmins entering the third.
Cooper Smyl got one back in the final session for the T-Birds to round out the scoring.
Majors’ goaltender Jordan Yaremchuk made 20 saves to earn the win and he also added an assist in the tiumph.
Noah Zeppa saw 41 pucks fired his way in defeat for the Soo.
