Written By BRIAN LOCKHART

The battle for the 2025 Junior C Schmalz Cup is underway with eight teams in the first round of playoffs in the Provincial Junior Hockey League. 

Conference finals are a best-of-seven series with the first team winning four games to become conference champions.

When the conference championships are decided, the remaining four teams will go into the next round to determine who will go to the Schmalz Cup provincial championship final series.

The defending Schmalz Cup champions, the Lakeshore Canadiens, were eliminated in the Stobbs Division championship series after taking a 4-2 series loss to the Essex 73s.

The Terriers are now up against the Hanover Barons in the North conference final in the first round of the Schmaltz Cup playoffs.

After three games, the Barons are leading the series 2-1.

The East Conference Final has the Napanee Raiders up against the Clarington Eagles.

Clarington finished the regular season as the first-place team in the East Orr Division with a 36-7 record.

Napanee finished in second place in the East Tod Division after another upset where they eliminated the first-place Frankford Huskies in six games.

Napanee is leading that series 2-0.

In the South Conference Final, the New Hamburg Firebirds are leading the Grimsby Peach Kings 2-1 after three games. 

Both teams finished in second place in their division this season.

The Firebirds are a surprise entry this year. They finished second in the regular season, but the South Doherty Division had an upset when the fourth-place Wellesley Applejacks managed to knock out the first-place Norwich Merchants in the second round of that division's playoffs.

New Hamburg won over Wellesley in the division final.

The West Conference Final has the Essex 73s up against the Petrolia Flyers.

Essex finished in first place in the West Stobbs Division with a 37-5 record.

Petrolia won the West Yeck Division, finishing the regular season with a 29-14 record.

The 73s are leading that series 2-0.

The latest date the conference finals can wrap up is April 17.