The Ottawa Jr. Senators are back, with redemption on the agenda.

After falling a goal short in the semifinals a year ago, the Jr. Senators won a return trip to Canada’s National Junior A Championship in search of the two victories that eluded them a year ago in Chilliwack, B.C.

The Ottawa line-up features eight returnees, including goaltender Francis Boisvert, who didn’t see any game action in 2018, workhorse defenceman Adrien Bisson, and captain and leading scorer Darcy Walsh.

Early on, the Jr. Senators hardly looked like a national championship contender; they lost their first three games and didn’t reach the .500 mark until the 10th game of the season.

But a seven-game win streak quickly righted the ship, and although Ottawa never cracked the CJHL Top 20 (it was given an Honourable Mention four times), it finished with the second-best record in the CCHL before cruising through Kanata, Brockville and Carleton Place with just two losses in 14 games to defend its league title.

The Jr. Senators owned the sixth-best penalty kill in the country during the regular season (88.3%) and were actually even better in the playoffs, allowing just nine goals in 78 chances (88.5%).

The Fred Page Cup championship continued a nice little run of success for the CCHL; teams from the league have won five of the last six East Region crowns and seven of the last 10, although only one of those – the 2011 Pembroke Lumber Kings – added a national title as well.

HOW THEY GOT TO BROOKS

Central Canada Hockey League
Quarter-final: defeated Kanata 4-1 (3-0, 1-4, 5-1, 3-2 3OT, 5-0)
Semifinal: defeated Brockville 4-0 (2-1 2OT, 5-2, 6-3, 3-2)
CCHL championship: defeated Carleton Place 4-1 (4-2, 1-4, 2-1, 2-0, 4-2)

Fred Page Cup
Preliminary round: 2-0-1 – 2nd place (defeated Amherst 4-1, lost to Princeville 4-3 OT, defeated Yarmouth 5-2)
Semifinal: defeated Amherst 4-3
Championship game: defeated Princeville 9-2

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-OTL): 43-16-3 (2nd in CCHL)
Goals for: 234 (2nd in CCHL)
Goals against: 154 (4th in CCHL)
Power play: 55 for 254 (21.7% – 2nd in CCHL)
Penalty killing: 249 of 282 (88.3% – 1st in CCHL)
Longest winning streak: 8 (Feb. 23-March 13)
Top 3 scorers:
- Darcy Walsh – 33G 31A 64P (7th in CCHL)
- Elie Boulerice – 24G 40A 64P (9th in CCHL)
- Owen Cole – 23G 38A 61P (10th in CCHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 16-3
Goals for: 71
Goals against: 36
Power play: 13 for 71 (18.3%)
Penalty killing: 69 of 78 (88.5%)
Top 3 scorers:
- Kyle Jackson – 10G 9A 19P
- Owen Cole – 8G 7A 15P
- Conor Smart – 8G 7A 15P

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

2002 – Ottawa Jr. Senators | 4th place | 2-3 | 18GF 23GA
2018 – Ottawa Jr. Senators | 4th place | 2-3 | 14GF 15GA

COMMITMENTS

Adrien Bisson – University of Maine (2019-20)
Owen Cole – University of Massachusetts-Lowell (2020-21)
Ethan Manderville – Colgate University (2019-20)
Darcy Walsh – Robert Morris University (2019-20)

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 24 – not ranked
Oct. 1 – not ranked
Oct. 8 – not ranked
Oct. 15 – not ranked
Oct. 22 – not ranked
Oct. 29 – not ranked
Nov. 5 – not ranked
Nov. 12 – not ranked
Nov. 19 – not ranked
Nov. 26 – not ranked
Dec. 3 – not ranked
Dec. 10 – not ranked
Dec. 17 – not ranked
Jan. 7 – not ranked
Jan. 14 – not ranked
Jan. 21 – not ranked
Jan. 28 – Honourable Mention
Feb. 4 – Honourable Mention
Feb. 11 – Honourable Mention
Feb. 18 – not ranked
Feb. 25 – not ranked
March 4 – Honourable Mention