Round one of the 2026 Boggart Cup Playoffs concluded with a 6-2 Ottawa victory over the Renfrew Wolves that sealed the series and booked the Jr Senators a ticket to the second round, where they will face the Smiths Falls Bears. Just a year after missing out on the playoffs, the Ottawa Jr Senators are now a top-four team in the CCHL.
The first-round matchup between Ottawa and Renfrew pitted two playoff neophytes against one another, making it an ideal environment for a team like Ottawa to learn what it takes to get wins in the playoffs. Ottawa’s inexperience was on full display in game one, where the team looked like they came out to play a regular-season game in terms of effort and attention to detail. From that point, they put on a clinic, outclassing Renfrew in nearly every metric on the way to winning four straight contests. Learning these lessons in round one will be important when it comes to facing a team like Smiths Falls with extensive playoff experience.
The last time the Bears missed the postseason was at the end of the 2017-18 season, making it nearly 10 years since the Bears were not in the hunt for a Boggart Cup. Smiths Falls took Rockland to seven games last season and was the only team that looked like it had a legitimate chance of beating the Nationals. Tyson Parker alone has played 34 playoff games during his CCHL career and amassed an impressive 33 points. Long story short, the Bears know what it takes to win in the playoffs; the only thing missing from their recent track record is a Boggart Cup.
If the first round was an opportunity for Ottawa to learn, the second round should be one of the most exciting series this postseason has to offer, and an opportunity for Ottawa to test itself against a perennial contender.
Season Series
The Ottawa Jr. Senators won the 2o25-26 season series against the Bears by the narrowest of margins. Every game but one finished by a one-goal margin, and two of Ottawa’s victories came in a shootout. The point is, these two teams didn’t know how to have a boring game against one another.
Oct. 25, Ott 4 SF 2
Nov. 7, Ott 3 SF 2 SO
Jan. 30, Ott 1 SF 2
Feb. 28, Ott 1 SF 2
Mar. 10, Ott 3 SF 2 SO
It’s clear from the season that these are two very evenly matched teams who match up well against one another. A lot will come down to who can execute their game plan on a given night and the way that pucks bounce.
Special Teams
Looking at the special teams, the Bears have a clear advantage, though some of that comes down to first-round matchups and a small sample size. Through four games against the Brockville Braves, Smiths Falls leads the playoffs with a 30.8 per cent on the power play and a 92.3 per cent on the penalty kill. These are very impressive numbers that are somehwhat inflated by the Bears dominant performance in the first round. That said, they aren’t miles ahead of their regular season numbers of 22.3 percent on the power play and 87.6 per cent on the penalty kill.
Coming into this series, the Jr. Senators have respectable numbers when it comes to odd-man situations including a 17.9 percent success rate on the power play and a 84.2 per cent success rate on the penalty kill. These numbers are slightly lower than the 19.7 per cent power play and a 89.0 per cent penalty kill that led the league.
What seems most likely when it comes to special teams in this series is Ottawa improving their numbers acrss the board while Smiths Falls numbers come back to earth purely based on the law of averages. All year long, the Bears struggled to score on the power play against Ottawa only scoring twice on 12 opportunities. The Jr Senators will want to keep those numbers going.
Starting on the Road
Unlike in round one, the Ottawa Jr Senators will not have home-ice advantage in this series, meaning they will start on the road in Smiths Falls. The schedule for the series is as follows:
Game 1: Apr. 3, 7:30 pm Smiths Falls Memorial Centre
Game 2: Apr. 5, 7:30 pm Jim Durrell Sports Complex
Game 3: Apr. 7, 7:30 pm Smiths Falls Memorial Centre
Game 4: Apr. 8, 7:30 pm Jim Durrell Sports Complex
Game 5 (If nevessary): Apr. 10, 7:30 pm Smiths Falls Memorial Centre
Game 6 (If necessary): Apr. 12, 7:30 pm Jim Durrell Sports Complex
Game 7 (If necessary): Apr. 14, 7:30 pm Smiths Falls Memorial Centre
You can catch all of the games on Flohockey.tv or tune in on ojsradio.mixlr.com.
