Kyle Vince (#27) heads to the Pacers bench on a line change. May 6, 2017 (photo by Jake Jeffrey)Kyle Vince (#27) heads to the Pacers bench on a line change. May 6, 2017 (photo by Jake Jeffrey)
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Vince Brothers Heading To Brampton

The Point Edward Pacers are losing brothers Matt and Kyle Vince, as the pair have joined the Jr. A Brampton Excelsiors.

After have spending the last few seasons with the Pacers, they will join the Excelciors for their season opener Friday night against Six Nations.

Kyle, who turned 19 in April, has played 32 games in parts of four seasons with Point Edward, scoring ten goals and 27 points. His older brother Matt has been a defensive leader for the club, with 2017 being his fifth summer with the Pacers.

Matt will be rejoining the Excelsiors, he played in 17 regular season games with Brampton last season, and even suited up in a pair of playoff games. The Excelsiors lost to the eventual Minto Cup finalist Orangeville Northmen in the semifinals.

General Manager Steve Baker says their presence will be missed.

"It leaves a huge hole on our team, Matt was a senior guy and Kyle was a very skilled player up front. It's an excellent opportunity for those guys to compete for a national championship in Jr. A," says Baker. "The moves also creates a great opportunity for some younger guys to fill into those roles."

The Vince brothers are the latest to use their play with the Pacers as a springboard to Jr. A. With three players making the jump last season, Baker hopes to keep that pipeline going.

"Liam Wright went last year, then was drafted into Sr. A, Matt Vince finished the season with them last year and Korey Conroy also got into a game as well," says Baker.

Kyle and Matt's younger brother Jake has looked good in a handful of games with the Pacers this season. The 16-year-old dressed as an affiliate in three games, scoring three goals and adding a pair of assists. The majority of that production coming in a four point effort during a 19-9 win over Welland on May 6.

The Pacers will still have a brother combination in the line up, as twins Jakob and Lucas Knowles have impressed as call ups this season. Both have been in the line up for all eight games this season, with Jakob scoring seven goals and 17 points, while Lucas has three goals and 14 assists.

Baker says the recent roster moves could be an opportunity for young guys like that to step up.

The Pacers continue their season Thursday evening for a 8pm start against the Windsor Clippers at Point Edward Arena.

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