Photo by Jacob Slagel ’26.
This weekend, the Varsity Team traveled to Cornwall, Ontario, to play Ontario Hockey Academy in the final hockey weekend of the season.
On Saturday, the team played its first game of the weekend. Northwood came out hard; they were pouncing on OHA throughout the first 10 minutes of the first period, with a goal by Jack Pitts ’27 sneaking one past the OHA goalie, surprising him and taking the lead 1-0. OHA started to wake up and hounded Northwood over the last few minutes of the period, scoring a goal on Luke Monaco ’27, ending the period tied, 1-1.
In the second period, OHA did not stop the rail train because, just a few minutes into the period, OHA put one in the net, taking the lead 2-1. Northwood was not finding life in the second period; they were running around in the D zone like animals, which led to another goal by OHA, taking the lead 3-1 at the end of the second period.
In the third period, Northwood was finding its groove. Everything felt like one unit, with everyone doing their part, leading to a goal by Jack Pitts ’27 on the power play, scoring one pass, the goalie making the score 3-2. The team was so fired up that they ended up scoring again on OHA, with Jack Pitts scoring a hat trick in the third, tying the score 3-3 and sending the game into overtime.
In Overtime, both teams were just going back and forth, not knowing who would score next, as this game would lead to a Shootout.
In Shootout, Jack Pitts ’27 stepped up first and scored, taking the lead 4-3. This was Jack’s fourth goal of the game. OHA was next, and Luke Monaco ’27 made a big save, keeping the lead 4-3. Elliott Murch ’27 was next, but OHA made a save with a pad stop, saving the game 4-3. OHA was next, but again Luke Monaco ’27 with a pad stop, keeping it 4-3. Justin MacLeod ’26 was next, but OHA again was a game-saving stop by the glove, keeping it 4-3. OHA was next, but Luke was a brick wall, stopping another goal, pushing it to another round. Griffin Mangan ’27 was next. Griffin came down on the left and scored top shelf on the OHA Goalie, taking the lead 5-3. OHA needs a big goal, but Luke Monaco made a big save to win the game 5-3.
“This game was exciting to watch with both teams going all the way through and pushing each other to the limits,” Harry Vant ’26 said. “This season was wonderful with the best group of guys. I will miss them in the future,” Harry added.
On Sunday, the final game of the season, Northwood has its rematch against OHA. This game was heated, with OHA coming out on a head-hunt, taking the lead 1-0 early in the first period. Northwood ended up answering back with a one-timer for Ray Peters ’27 to snipe one in the back of the net, tying the lead 1-1 at the end of the first period.
In the second period, Northwood was not playing at their standard, and OHA came out flying, scoring a goal on Ethan Nau ’26 with a back-door tap-in, taking the lead 2-1. The team fought back but could not find a goal in the second half. OHA scored another goal and was leading the game 3-1 at the end of the second period.
In the third period, Northwood was waking up, scoring early on a goal by Jack Pitts ’27, his fifth of the weekend, to take the game 3-2. Sadly, Northwood’s efforts were not enough, and OHA scored another goal, taking the game 4-2.
“For the final game, it was not the outcome we wanted, but I still think the team had a great weekend. We played hard for the final weekend,” Ryan Demers ’27 said. “I loved playing with this group of guys, what a season for the boys,” Ryan added.
As the season came to an end, the Varsity had a record of 32-24 (W/L). It was a great 2025-26 season for the Varsity, with the team playing at 110% each game and improving by 1% every day. “Now it’s time for the team to take out the clubs and hit the golf courses,” the Varsity team said.
