Raiders capture Tod Division championship

The Napanee Raiders scored four goals in the third period of Game 6 to capture their third straight win and the Tod Division final Tuesday night on home ice.

Andrew Carr and Trent Williams each had two markers in that final frame after it looked like Frankford scored a key goal with 23 seconds left in the second period with Spencer Stanutz putting the visitors ahead.

The Huskies came out showing their desperation during the first period as Evan Erwin and Keenan Wiles both found the net.  Logan Vale somehow got his paddle down to prevent a third scoring attempt many in the building thought was inevitable.

The second period saw Carr get his team on the board with the first tally of his hat- trick effort on the power play and Spencer Cranley tie the score before the Stanutz goal.

Vale turned aside 28 of 32 Frankford shots before teammates mobbed him in the defensive zone as the buzzer ran out.  His league-leading 11th win capped a run that saw him capture the Sgt. Jason Boyes Memorial Trophy as Tod playoff most valuable player.

The win is the Raiders’ 13th time in franchise history claiming the division title.

Here’s a recap of the final series games:

• In Game 1, the Raiders took a 3-1 road victory. Trent Williams opened the scoring in the first before Ben White and Deke Osterhout traded second period power-play goals just over two minutes apart.  Erik MacNeil found the empty net from the length of the ice to finally ice the victory with 19 seconds remaining.  Vale had a busy night, stopping 38 attempts.
• During Game 2, the Huskies scored four unanswered goals to win 4-1.  Carr got his team an early lead, but it was all Frankford after that. Riley Grimmon, Joey Coates, Jakob Gardner and Ty McCambridge scored in succession. Liam Boyer picked up the win, facing just 11 shots against.
• The third contest saw another lopsided score for the Huskies, 5-1, in a penalty filled affair. Coates paced the attack with a pair of goals. Gage Butcher, Stanutz, and McCambridge also scored. White had the lone Napanee goal.  With the game tied 1-1, Vale left temporarily after his blocker hand was cut open by a skate.  The end of the second period saw Frankford get the go-ahead goal after a tricky bounce eluded Denholm Blair.  Just 30 seconds later, MacNiel was ejected on a boarding major. The Huskies scored two power-play goals on his penalty and added a shorthanded empty netter later.
• Two days later, without their top scorer in the lineup, the Raiders had a turn at spoiling their rival’s early lead. After Mason Musclow and Williams traded second-period goals, Napanee went ahead 42 seconds into the third. Ryan Aldridge fired a long pass through the defence to send White in on a breakaway. He made no mistake deking past Boyer. Williams added another goal to give his team some daylight and Carr capped the 4-1 game with an empty-netter.
• A severe ice storm twice delayed Game 5 in Frankford.  The rested Raiders kept their momentum alive. Carr scored twice and Williams once before Case found an empty net late in the third.  McCambridge had Frankford’s only goal in a second consecutive 4-1 decision. Vale turned aside 29 of 30 shots.

The 2025 playoffs saw the Raiders sweep the Trent Hills Thunder 4-0, then complete a stunning comeback to defeat the Amhestview Jets in six games after losing the first pair.

The win allowed Napanee to advance to the PJHL East conference final for the third time in four years. Once again, they were poised to play a familiar rival in the Clarington Eagles, who have been Schmalz Cup finalists the past three years.