Raiders beat Port Hope, bow to Frankford

The 2025-2026 PJHL Tod Division playoffs was a tale of two tight sweeps for the Napanee Raiders. One went their way, the next ended their two-year run of division titles.

After an exuberant 6-1 win to start the post-season, the Raiders needed three one-goal wins to prevail over a pesky, young Port Hope Panthers squad that bought in well defensively.  Then, despite holding third-period leads in three of four games against the eventual division champions from Frankford, it was the Raiders’ turn to fall by one goal in three of four losses (two of which went overtime).

The eight-game playoff followed an up-and-down regular season that saw the Raiders notch a 27-12-3 mark, good for 57 points and third place behind the Lakefield Chiefs (62) and the Huskies (61).  After working to find a consistent lineup in the early going, the Raiders went 11-3 down the stretch once the calendar hit 2026.

Regular season highlights included registering a division-low 99 goals against – good for sixth overall in the PJHL – and a pair of awards (lowest goals against team, received by Jacob Brown and Denholm Blair) and division goaltender of the year, awarded to Brown in his first year with the club. He went 18-7-3 with a 2.38 goals against average, .927 save percentage and three shutouts.

Four Raiders were named to the Tod all-star team in Brown, defender Jackson Barnes, and forwards Andrew Carr and Mason Goodfellow. Carr led Napanee with 38 points. Goodfellow was the top goal scorer, netting 24 of his 36 points.

Come playoff time, Carr and 16-year-old rookie Ben Kerr notched four goals and three assists each to lead the team. Trent Williams also had seven points with a goal and helpers.

Here is a game-by-game summary of the playoffs:

Napanee 6, Port Hope 1, Game 1 (Feb. 20) – Goodfellow opened the scoring 3:40 in and paced the attack with a pair as Napanee never looked back. Spencer Cranley, Ryan McGee, Kerr and Matthew Airhart also found the net.  Dryden Minifie replied for the Panthers. Brown turned aside 18 of 19 shots for the victory.

Napanee 2, Port Hope 1, Game 2 (Feb. 21) – A determined second effort from McGee at the side of the Panthers’ net in the second period would hold up as the difference after the Panthers’ Zach Naherne and Kerr traded goals in the first stanza at the Jack Burger Sports Centre.  Carr would set up both goals for Napanee. Making his first start of the series, Port Hope goalie Aidan Cowan held his team in with 24 stops on 26 shots.  Brown was also up to the task, stopping 22 of 23.

Napanee 1, Port Hope 0, Game 3 (Feb. 23) – A rare scoreless game into overtime was settled 8:24 into the opening stanza. Goodfellow won a one-on-one puck battle down the left wing and slid the puck back to Barnes walking over the blue line.  His quick shot eluded Cowan to send the Raiders home happy after back-to-back games in Port Hope. Brown stopped all 27 shots he faced. Cowan went 39 of 40.  Both teams were disciplined throughout with the Raiders getting two power plays to Port Hope’s one.

Napanee 3, Port Hope 2, Game 4 (Feb. 25) – Carr once again provided the heroics. With just 1:17 left as he broke in shorthanded off a Trent Williams pass to score the winner before 214 people. The Raiders looked poised to close out the series with Williams and Kerr staking them to a 2-0 lead in the first half of the second period.  The Panthers made it tight on special teams in the third.  Forward Colby Hercia got a power-play goal to give his side life with about seven minutes left, then Sutton Scheck evened it by capitalizing with an unassisted shorthanded goal off a turnover. Brown made 21 saves on 23 shots, Cowan 28 of 31.  Notably, Napanee was shorthanded 10 times in the contest on home ice.

Frankford 5, Napanee 4, Game 1 (March 7) – The Raiders looked to have the Huskies

where they wanted them on the road as Napanee enjoyed a two-goal lead 4:14 into the third period following back-to-back Goodfellow goals 35 seconds apart completing his hat trick.  The Huskies chipped away, however, as Deke Osterhout scored shorthanded three minutes later. Veteran Riley Grimmon would tie the score and then end it 14:31 into the extra stanza. Napanee lost a pair of blue liners in the third period as Eric Taher and Luke Jarmin were both out of the series with shoulder injuries. Carr had the Raiders’ other goal, scored shorthanded, while Ty McCambridge rounded out Frankford’s scoring.  Brown was the busier of the goalies, stopping 43 of 48 shots. The Huskies’ Liam Boyer had 34 saves on 35 shots.

Frankford 5, Napanee 1, Game 2 (March 8) – The Huskies power play put on a show in front of 543 spectators at Best and Bash Arena with the visitors tallying all five of their goals with an advantage (one with on a five-on-three).  Captain Spencer Stanutz led the way with two goals. Avery Wease, Keegan Juchau, and Grimmon also converted. In his series debut, Carter Slaven had the lone Napanee goal, capitalizing following a strong individual effort by McGee to break through the defence and crack Boyer’s shutout bid with 1:40 to go. The Huskies netminder made 24 stops. Brown was credited with 30.

Frankford 4, Napanee 3, Game 3 (March 12) –  Napanee was three seconds away from grabbing a win and new life when McCambridge slid undetected from the point to the net to tie the game 3-3. Just 5:31 into overtime, Huskies affiliate Ryan Foley found himself alone in front of the net to finish the comeback after an offensive zone draw.  Again, the Raiders held leads on the road. Carr and Kerr staked their team to a 2-0 edge in the third, only to see an Osterhout power play goal and a Mason Boyer tally 14 seconds apart.  Raider captain Reid Lambert pushed his team ahead with 4:30 left, snapping a hard shot high into the cage behind Liam Boyer.  Brown was again busy with 41 stops on 45 shots. Boyer had 29 on 32 shots.  Napanee got gutsy efforts from two affiliates drawing into the lineup, Cohen Smith and Logan McNeil.

Frankford 4, Napanee 3, Game 4 (March 13) –  With a sense of urgency, the Raiders got off to a fast start before 523 faithful braving a snowstorm for Game 4. Goodfellow opened the scoring 1:38 with a man advantage and Slaven scored just two minutes later.  As

Napanee killed five consecutive penalties to start the second, the Huskies used the momentum switch to balance the tally.  Osterhout and Grimmon had power play goals and it was even halfway through. Stanutz put the Huskies ahead on an advantage 4:03 into the third, then Jake Sage found the net for an insurance goal just over four minutes later.  Carr brought the Raiders within one on their own power play with 18 seconds to go. They pressed, but could not score again with the net empty.  Boyer went 31 for 34, Brown 32 for 36.  A visit by Canadian Olympic bobsled pilot Jay Dearborn may have also contributed to the quick start.  The Yarker native and longtime Raider fan spoke to the Napanee players prior to dropping the puck for a ceremonial face-off.