1. Sports
2. Hockey
3. Junior Hockey

Hawks still unbeaten early in pre-season

Published Aug 26, 2026  •  Last updated 11 hours ago  •  2 minute read

Three pre-season wins are nothing to sneeze at for the Mitchell Hawks after coming off a 2025-26 season where wins were difficult to come by. 

A truer test awaits once the 2026-27 Provincial Junior Hockey League regular season begins in Walkerton on Sept. 11, of course. 

The Hawks defeated New Hamburg 4-2 in an exhibition contest Aug. 11 and swept a home-and-home set with Wellesley, winning on the road in overtime 2-1 on Aug. 21 and claiming a 7-4 triumph in the return engagement with the Applejacks in Stratford two nights later. 

A home-and-home affair with Tavistock, last year’s Schmalz Cup finalists, will round out their pre-season, with games in Stratford Aug. 30 (details of which were unavailable at press time), and in Tavistock on Sept. 2 before things get real. 

Cody Bach scored the overtime winner in Wellesley, a mere 91 seconds into the extra frame. Kaden Brame tied the game for Mitchell early in the third period as the Applejacks had opened the scoring six minutes into the second period. Josh Purtill made 25 saves in the Hawks’ net. 

In the rematch, Mitchell led 3-1 and 6-3 at the intermission breaks, getting two goals from Ryan Gansevles and singles from Owen Holloway, Jon Tenhag, Nathan Jewitt, and affiliates Jason Adair and Cole Broughton. Defenceman Haden Frayne picked up three assists and Jewitt added two. Luke Binning made 39 saves in the Hawks’ net. 

Hawks’ general manager Cory Broughton said the club has just a couple of roster spots to sort out before finalizing things, with the usual balls in the air and movement still possible amongst the numerous junior clubs going through the process themselves. 

What is known is the goaltending tandem of Purtill, a London native acquired last December from Mount Brydges; and rookie Binning, of St. Marys, have looked good thus far, Broughton noted. 

Forward Jewitt and defenceman Bach will be co-captains this year, with Talbot Geiger, Tenhag and Frayne wearing associate captain A’s. 

Besides Bach and Frayne, other blueliners signed include Owen Gaylor, Beckham McLeod, Austin Musselman and rookie Owen Blackburn of Stratford. 

Up front, returning players inked include Jarrett Van Bakel, Colin Schultz, Blair Stokes, Owen Bridges, Tenhag, Gansevles, Holloway, Jewitt, Brame and Geiger. Newcomers include 20-year-old Iain MacIsaac, a Goderich native acquired in a trade with Thamesford, and rookies Cole Hishon of Stratford, and Evan Ballantyne of St. Marys. 

“Things are looking good so far, we wanted to add size up front which we did with MacIsaac and Ballantyne,” said Broughton, also pointing to Frayne and Blackburn as “big additions on the back end.” 

The 2026-27 PJHL regular season begins in Walkerton for the Hawks on Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m. The following week, they host back-to-back home games against Wingham on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. and Walkerton on Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. 

“We’re all pretty excited for this season, that’s for sure,” Broughton said. “Obviously there’s always a few teams in our division spending the big money . . . but we’re building it the right way.”