Picton Pirates weather stormy seas as PJHL regular season kicks off

Countylive.ca welcomes Jason Parks and his weekly coverage of the Picton Pirates. Jason has been involved with the Picton Pirates Junior C hockey club since 2004, serving in both a journalism role and as the club’s General Manager from 2009-11 and 2021-23.

Ben Smith and the Picton Pirates welcome Amherstview Thursday, Sept. 24th for the club’s home opener at the Picton Arena, 7:30 p.m. – Jason Parks photos

By Jason Parks
Short staffed on blue line, the Picton Pirates were dropped into the deepest, darkest part of the Tod Division jungle to kick off their 2026-27 Provincial Junior Hockey League season.

And the locals attributed themselves nicely.

Picton (0-0-2) picked up a pair of regulation ties over the weekend to grab a pair of well-earned points. On Saturday night, the Bucs opened their season in Frankford with a 5-4 shootout loss to a superstar-laden Huskies squad that could beat up on some Ontario Junior Hockey League teams if the circumstances allowed.

Less than 18 hours later, the Pirates squared off against Trent Hills and their overage goaltender Logan Vale in the Thunder’s home opener. Picton fired 47 shots on the Trent Hills net but could only muster one tally in another game that devolved into a skills competition that didn’t go Picton’s way.

Close Calls
The Pirates were without veteran defenceman Will Potts and Matt Petrut on Saturday as their ship sailed into Frankford Saturday night. Worse yet, Picton’s defence corps didn’t exactly exude experience from the drop of the puck. A handful of defenders were making their PJHL debut as was starting netminder Cohen Bedore.

County Kings grad Jaxson Payne was left alone on the doorstep to pot his first PJHL goal just under four minutes into the game to give the Pirates an early 1-0 lead. Former OHLer Thomas Kuipers evened the score at 1-1 just before the end of the first.

Keenan Wiles had a goal in Picton’s 5-4 shootout loss in Frankford Saturday night.

Picton continued to press in the second as the teams traded salvos. Keenan Wiles deflected Blake Brown’s point shot at 14:28. Gage Butcher answered back for the hosts at 11:21 but Picton was quick to reassert their lead.

Rookie Caleb Doyle sprang Isiah More on a partial breakaway with a nifty back hand pass at 9:58. The locals went up a pair when Wiles spotted County native and 16-year-old defenceman Jake Vandenburg lurking in the high slot. The blueliner wired his first PJHL goal in his first junior game, picking the low blocker side on Huskies starter Liam Boyer.

Kuipers continued to pay dividends for Frankford as he tapped home his second of the night in the late going of the second.

In the third, Kuipers capped off a hat trick effort early but neither goalie blinked as the end of regulation loomed. Bedore was perfect through overtime and made stops on Kuipers and Maddox Vespa before former Wellington Duke Evan Erwin scored in the shootout, giving the hosts their first and only lead of the game.

The rookie netminder made 45 stops in 67 minutes of action.

The Thunder Rolls
The following day, Picton went with veteran Nick Parodo who turned in a tidy 28 save effort. But the Picton goaltender was out battled by Vale who was last seen in these parts backstopping the Napanee Raiders to a Schmalz Cup appearance in the spring of 2024.

After the Thunder took the lead in the first on a Matthew Hinan tally, Picton bagged an equalizer on the powerplay at the 15:25 mark of the second.

Gerrit Kempers found Joey Coates lurking in the slot and Picton’s overage sniper made no mistake on his first as a Pirate.

Picton outshot Trent Hills 29-17 over the final 40 minutes but couldn’t beat Vale. The Bucs also controlled much of the seven-minute overtime period and came up empty.

The shootout went nine rounds before Coulter Trudeau solved Parado on the glove side for the game winner.

The Pirates are on the road Sunday to take on Allan Etmanski’s Amherstview Jets. Picton’s home opener is Thursday, Sept. 24th when the Pirates battle Lakefield.