Junior Panthers bash Burlington Barracudas 5-1 to close pool play at OWHL U22 Elite Eight Championships

Ellie Lewington, Anastasia Trifon, Zoe Ordanis, Audrey Martone, and Lily Paisley scored one goal each to pace Central York to a 5-1 win over Burlington on Saturday afternoon at the Scotiabank Pond in Toronto.

With the decisive victory over the Barracudas, the Junior Panthers closed out their 2025-26 season on a winning note.

Despite beating up higher-ranked Burlington which finished second in Pool B, Central York was eliminated from Sunday's Gold and Bronze medal games after losing two hard-fought contests:  3-1 to the Mississauga Hurricanes on Thursday and 5-3 to the Durham West Lightning on Friday.

Durham West advanced to the Gold Medal game with seven points, based on a 2-1-0 record.

Burlington advanced to the Bronze Medal game with four points after procuring a 2-1-0 record.

Mississauga, which finished 2nd in the 22U Elite Division after the regular season, but stumbled in pool play, failed to advance to the Medal round after accruing a 1-2-0 record and four points.

On Saturday versus the Barracudas, the Panthers were playing for pride and got off to a quick start in their quest to subdue Burlington. Lewington lit the lamp 2:39 into the first period—with helpers from Paisley and Ordanis—to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.

Trifon gave Central York a two-goal advantage with 7:05 to go in the opening frame—earning assists for Demi Lazarou and Elizabeth Shapira on what turned out to be the game-winning tally.

When Caileigh Tiller pulled Burlington to within one goal at 17:04 of the second period, Ordanis restored the Panthers' two-goal lead less than two minutes later.  Annabella Van Berkel and Mackenzie Cotey notched helpers on Ordanis's marker.

With 1:55 remaining in the middle frame, Martone moved the Panthers' lead to 4-1 after being set up by Lazarou and Elizabeth Janovski.

Paisley closed the scoring when the Panthers' power play clicked midway through the third period.

Lazarou and Janovski each earned their second assists of the contest.

The Junior Panthers closed their impressive season as the 7th-ranked team in the 25-team Elite U22 Division and defeated the Kingston Ice Wolves three games to one in the OWHL's Preliminary Playoff Round last weekend to advance to the Elite Eight Championships in Toronto. 

By Jim Stewart