Written By BRIAN LOCKHART

After a long season that started back on Sept. 11, 2024, the  nal battle for the provincial Junior C Schmalz Cup is underway.

That's an eight-month season that will come down to a best-of-seven series to determine this year's championship team.

The  final series will pit the Hanover Barons from the North Conference against the Essex 73s from the West Conference.

This promises to be an intense series between two very talented and competitive teams.

Hanover had an outstanding season this year winning 36 games after 42 times on the ice and  finishing in  first place.

Two of their losses came in overtime and one game was a shoot-out loss.

After winning the league, the Barons won eight playoff games in a row.

This dispatched the Goderich Flyers in four games in the quarter final round, then followed up with a four-game sweep over the Kincardine Bulldogs in the semi-final round.

They won the Pollock Division championship in  five games after knocking out the Fergus Whalers.

The Barons won the North Conference with a 4-1 series against the Orillia Terriers.

In the toughest series of the year, the Barons eliminated the Napanee Raiders to win the Schmalz Cup semi-finals in a series that went the full seven games.

The Essex 73s  finished  first in the West Stobbs Division with a 37-5 record.

They eliminated the Walpole Island Wild in the  first round in a four-game sweep, then knocked out the Blenheim Blades in the second round in a series that went five games.

The 73s won the division with a win over the Lakeshore Canadiens in a series that went six games.

Essex easily won the West Conference championship in a lopsided series against the Petrolia Flyers that was over in four games.

In the Schmalz Cup semi-final, the Essex team eliminated the New Hamburg Firebirds in five games.

The Schmalz Cup championship  final series is a best-of-seven match-up.

Game One of the championship  final series got underway on Saturday, May 3, in Hanoverand ended with a 6-1 Hanover win.

That was an unexpectedly high score for a game in a  final championship between two talented teams.

The Barons took a 2-0 lead in the series when they left the ice with a 2-1 win in Game Two on Sunday, May 4.

Game Three is scheduled to take place in Hanover on Saturday, May 7, at 7 p.m.