Stouffville Spirit set for OJHL quarterfinals against Trenton

The Stouffville Spirit is gearing up for the second round of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) playoffs, set to begin this weekend.

The Spirit will travel to Trenton on Friday to face the Golden Hawks in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series. Game 2 follows on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Stouffville Arena. The series then shifts back to Trenton for Game 3 on March 25 before returning to Stouffville for Game 4 on March 27; both games start at 7:30 p.m.

The Spirit advanced to the OJHL quarterfinals—known as the ‘Elite 8’—by sweeping the Wellington Dukes in the opening round. The league consists of 24 teams.

“The team is in tremendous form currently,” Stouffville captain David Paglia told the OJHL. “Every player had a part in this sweep, and I’m very proud to say that. We were able to shut out the second-highest scoring team in our division twice, which shows how our defence and goaltenders played a massive role in this series. Our forward group has been scoring up and down the lineup, which really shows our depth.”

Home games at Stouffville Arena regularly draw hundreds of passionate fans, providing the team with strong local support.

For more details, visit stouffvillespirit.ojhl.ca.

Photo: Evan Breckles of the Stouffville Spirit celebrates his March 13 game-tying goal with Josh Bonnyman and Julian DeMiglio at the Stouffville Arena. The Spirit won the game in double overtime over the Wellington Dukes. (Andy Corneau / OJHL Images)