By Dale West,
The OJHL Western Conference Final is going to game 7 after the Mike Jackson Collingwood Blues topped the Toronto Patriots 5-2 in another start-to-finish firewagon hockey game.
Blues tie the series up, and we’re headed to GAME 7 on Wednesday!! Final score, brought to you by Red Devil Sports. OJHL Image
The Blues opened the scoring early on the powerplay as Atom Thususka tipped a Will Hughes shot for the 1-0 lead.
After that both teams fired things up with a flurry of chances at both ends. Hagen Bach and Nice Armellin made tough saves and got a few bounces as well to keep the score at the single goal through the first period.
In the second period, Talan Palmer got two goals in the first seven minutes of the frame to give the Blues a three nothing lead.
The teams traded chances again over the next ten minutes before Kyle Morey got his third of the series in as many games, continuing on from his almost 120 points in Elmira over the season and playoffs for that team.
Your Collingwood Boston Pizza Player of the Game goes to #22 Heath Bogart | OJHL Images | Nick Elder
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The chances didn’t slow down but again the Bach-Armellin show continued, and the period ended 3-1.
The teams traded goals in the first half of the third. The Blues felt Toronto should have been called for too many players on a play that set up the face off that led to Cole Cooksey making it 3-2.
Toronto could only watch in disbelief a couple of minutes later when, after Armellin stopped two Blues in close the puck bounced off a defender and into the open goal to restore Collingwood’s two goal lead.
Toronto went with 6 skaters for the final 3 and a half minutes but couldn’t get to Bach, and with just over a minute remaining Keenan Hodgson won a race for a loose puck inside the Patriots blue line and fought off the defender for the clinching goal.
The series returns to Toronto on Wednesday where the Blues have won two of three in this series. The winner Wednesday hosts game one of the OJHL Buckland Cup final this weekend.
Catch game seven live on Collingwood Blues Radio, brought to you by Mr Norm’s Nephew Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt and Terry Geddes Blues Nation.
Tomorrow night at Westwood Arena, it all comes down to this. One game. Winner moves on to the Buckland Cup Finals.
Blues Fans – if you’re making the trip, be ready. Tickets are only available at the door, no online sales. Get there early and let’s get loud, Blues Nation!! OJHL Images #PoweredByNutrafarms #drivenbymikejacksonGM
The Collingwood Blues are one of the top junior hockey teams in Ontario, and the current playoff series with the Leamington Flyers is the latest test for a program built on winning and community support. The Blues also carry a bigger story: family ownership, loyal fans, a national title in 2024, and back-to-back league championships in 2023 and 2024.
- The Collingwood Blues are in the spotlight again during the current playoff battle with Leamington.
- Collingwood finished near the top of the OJHL again in 2025-26, posting a 39-10 record through 54 games and sitting first in its division with 83 points as of late February 2026.[1]
- The Blues won consecutive league championships in 2023 and 2024.[1]
- The 2024 team also captured the Centennial Cup national championship, giving Collingwood a lasting hockey milestone.
- The Steele family ownership story matters because the club has become a true community team, not just a roster on the ice.
- Terry Geddes Blues Nation
- Broadcaster Dale West has helped fans feel close to the action with familiar play-by-play.
- Goaltender Maksim Corovic was named OJHL Top Goaltender for 2025-26.[4]
- Season tickets for 2026-27 are already on sale, a sign of continued interest in Blues hockey.[3] For Tickets: Click Here
