The Vankleek Hill Cougars are moving on to the National Capital Junior Hockey League (NCJHL) semifinals, after posting convincing 7-0 and 10-1 victories last weekend, to sweep the Morrisburg Lions in the opening round of the playoffs.
After posting tight 3-2 and 4-2 wins in the first two games of the NCJHL quarterfinal series, the Cougars – 31-0-0-1 in the regular season – overwhelmed Morrisburg (5-26-0-1) in the final two games of the series.
The Cougars will now have a weekend off, before facing the winner of the series between the St-Isidore Eagles and South Grenville Rangers. South Grenville leads that series three games to two, after the Eagles rallied with a 6-4 home win on Sunday evening (February 22).
Vankleek Hill will host the opening game of the NCJHL semifinal series against either St-Isidore or South Grenville on Saturday, March 7.
Sunday, February 22 – Vankleek Hill Cougars 10, Morrisburg Lions 1
Liam Lynn scored four goals, as the Cougars trounced the Morrisburg Lions 10-1, to sweep the first round NCJHL playoff series.
Cody Horner and Zachary Sullivan each had a pair of goals, while Mike Fournier and Bruno Laframboise had single markers in the team’s road victory. Defenceman Brad Horner chipped in three assists, while Tristan Paquette earned the win in net.
Saturday, February 22 – Vankleek Hill Cougars 7, Morrisburg Lions 0
Nolan MacMillan had a hat trick, and Vankleek Hill netminder Mael Gendron recorded a shutout, as the Cougars came out storming on home ice to take a 7-0 win over Morrisburg in front of a packed house at the Vankleek Hill Arena.
Mike Fournier, Ryder Hill, Xavier Plante, and Rylan Wolowicz added singles in the win, Vankleek Hill stormed out to a 3-0 lead after one period and never looked back, as they took a 3-0 stranglehold on the NCJHL quarterfinal series.
Cougars win multiple NCJHL regular season awards
Above Photo: Prior to last Saturday’s game against Morrisburg, several members of the Vankleek Hill Cougars were presented with their hardware, after Vankleek Hill swept many of the regular season NCJHL awards. Left to right: Bradley Horner, League MVP and Best Defenceman; Liam Lynn, Top Scorer; Hamish Cunning. Coach of the Year; Tristan Paquette, Best Goaltender; and Cody Horner, Best Defensive Forward. Photo courtesy of the Vankleek Hill Cougars
Multiple members of the Vankleek Hill Cougars were presented with NCJHL regular season awards prior to last Saturday’s game against Morrisburg, as the local squad took home the bulk of league honors, following an amazing regular season in which they were undefeated in regulation time.
Vankleek Hill defenceman Bradley Horner was a double winner, taking home the both the NCJHL’s Most Valuable Player trophy, as well as being the league’s Best Defenceman. A native of Vankleek Hill, Horner – who played the previous two seasons with the Ottawa 67s Junior A squad – was the rock on a Cougars’ defense that allowed only 52 goals in 32 regular-season games.
Keeping it in the family, Bradley’s younger brother Cody Horner, was honored as the NCJHL’s Best Defensive Forward, sharing the award with Riley Webb, of the Cumberland Castors.
Forward Liam Lynn was also a double winner, as the NCJHL’s Top Scorer and Rookie of the Year. The 20-year-old Rockland native potted 23 goals during the NCJHL regular season, adding 29 assists for a total of 52 points in 30 games played.
Vankleek Hill netminder Tristan Paquette took home the NCJHL regular-season award as the league’s Best Goaltender. Already in his third season with the Cougars, the 18-year-old Alexandria native posted a 15-0-0 record, with a 1.78 Goals Against Average (GAA) in 18 games during the 2025-2026 NCJHL regular season.
Cougars Head Coach Hamish Cunning was honored as NCJHL Coach of the Year, after the team posted a 31-0-0-1 record in his first season behind the bench.
The late Kelly Lefebvre, a longtime volunteer with the Cougars, was the winner of the Bedard Family Trophy for her contributions to the Junior C team and NCJHL.
In addition to being the NCJHL’s Regular Season Champions, the Cougars were picked as the league’s Top Defensive Team.
Photo Gallery – Cougars vs Morrisburg, ,Saturday, February 21, 2026
