The Collingwood Blues lost a heartbreaker to close out the round-robin round at the 2023 Centennial Cup in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba Wednesday night.
The Ontario Junior Hockey League champions fell 4-3 to the host Portage Terriers, who scored the game-winner with 20 seconds remaining in regulation time.
The Blues will play the Ottawa Jr. Senators in the first of two quarterfinals at the national Jr. A championships Friday at 4:30 p.m. EDT.
The Blues won their other three games, two in regulation and one in overtime. That gave them eight points, good for third place in B Division, behind the Terriers and Saskatchewan’s Battlefords North Stars, who both finished with nine.
Carter Diceman scored two goals for Collingwood. Spencer Young had the Blues first goal.
The Terriers will face Nova Scotia’s Yarmouth Mariners in the other quarter-final Friday at 8:30.
The division winners, Alberta’s Brooks Bandits and Battlefords, earned byes into Saturday’s semifinals.
The championship final goes Sunday at 4 p.m. EDT
For more on the Centennial Cup, go to the tournament website: https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/national-championships/men/national-junior-a/2023
