It has been a long time coming for the Point Edward Pacers, as the team returns to the post season for the first time since the 2004 season. The team posted a 9-11 record during the OLA Jr. B lacrosse season.
It took the Pacers until their final game of the season to earn their ticket to the playoffs, and they needed some help to do so. Going into the final game of the regular season, Point Edward was tied with the Niagara Thunderhawks for the final playoff spot, with Niagara holding the tiebreaker advantage. Niagara was taking on Elora, and Point Edward was hosting London. The Pacers did their part, beating London 13-6 to earn their ninth win of the season. Minutes after the game ended, their post season fate was solidified as Elora closed out their game against Niagara with a 12-7 victory. Captain Korey Conroy says he's thought about this moment for a while.
"The best feeling of my lacrosse career, it has been a goal of mine ever since I started playing junior. We knew that we needed the win and we came out and got the job done."
It wont be easy for Point Edward, who will face top ranked Six Nations in the first round best-of-three series.
The Pacers were back stopped all season long by goaltender Brayden Bell, who appeared in 19 of the team's 20 games. No goalie was busier than Bell this season, his 712 saves is the most by any goaltender since the league began tracking that stat in 2009. Bell also helped chip in on the offence as well, as his 15 assists led all goaltenders.
It was also an impressive season for Cory Burr, who led the Pacers offensively with 49 goals and 75 points in 20 games. His 49 goals was the fourth most in the OLA Jr. B circuit this season.