Ontario Junior Hockey League Director of Officiating Rob MacGregor presents conference championship banners to captains Dylan Hudon of the Collingwood Blues Thursday and Adam O’Marra of the Trenton Golden Hawks Sunday. The Blues and Golden Hawks will meet in the OJHL Nutrafarms Championship Series for the second straight year beginning next weekend. (Photos by Tim Bates and Ray MacAloney/OJHL Images)
The match-up for the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s 2024 Nutrafarm Championship Series final is a repeat of the 2023 final.
The Collingwood Blues and Trenton Golden Hawks will meet again in the best-of-seven.
The series, which will open in Collingwood, will be played from April 19 to May 2. The schedule is still to be announced.
The winner of the series will hoist the Buckland Cup and earn a berth in the Centennial Cup national championships in Oakville this May 9-19.
Big crowds are expected in both centres. The Blues have averaged 1,086 fans at home games during the postseason compared to 968 in Trenton.
Collingwood won the 2023 final over Trenton in five games.
The Blues won the OJHL regular season championship this year, which gave them home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Blues swept the expansion Leamington Flyers in the West Conference final, taking the series with a 4-2 victory in Leamington Thursday. They swept the Brantford 99ers in four games in the first round and needed five games to get by the Milton Menace in one West semifinal.
The Golden Hawks won the East final in six games over the Cobourg Cougars. They were presented the conference championship banner in Cobourg after a 3-1 win over the hometown Cougars Sunday.
Trenton swept the Stouffville Spirit and Toronto Jr. Canadiens in the first two rounds of the postseason.
