Written By BRIAN LOCKHART

The Hanover Barons have captured the 2025 provincial Junior C Schmalz Cup after winning the final series in a four-game sweep over the Essex 73s.

It wasn't a surprise that the Barons won the cup, however, it was a surprise that they were able to do it in four games.

The Essex team arrived at the final series after winning the West Conference title over the Petrolia Flyers in a series that went four games.

They eliminated the New Hamburg Firebirds in the Schmalz Cup semi-final round in a series that went five games, to earn their spot in the championship round.

The championship series was going to be between two talented teams so it was expected that the final could go six or seven games.

The Barons won the North Conference final with a 4-1 win over the Orillia Terriers. They went on to eliminate the Napanee Raider in the semi-final of the Schmalz Cup.

The final championship series got underway on May 3. The Barons left the ice with a dominant 6-1 win in Game One of the series leaving fans surprised at the score in a championship game

Game Two gave the Barons an edge in the series with a 2-1 win on Essex's home ice.

The 73s were in serious trouble after they took a 4-0 loss in Game Three.

The final game showed just how resilient the Hanover team is.

After playing to a 1-1 tie in the first period, the 73s scored three unanswered goals in the second frame to lead 4-1 with one period remaining.

In playoff hockey it is very rare for a team to come back against that type of deficit, however, the Barons hammered in three goals in the third period to tie the game 4-4 and force overtime.

The 73s were fighting a battle to keep the series alive and just needed to score one to win the game and return for Game Five.

Their season ended with Hanover scoring at 10:30 into the overtime period to win the game and claim the 2025 championship.