Coeur d鈥橝lene Hockey Academy (1) vs BWC Academy (5) U17 Division II Western Championships
BWC Academy set out to control their game against Coeur d鈥橝lene Hockey Academy from start to finish, a task they鈥檇 accomplish from the outset; the 38-23 shots on goal margin in favour of BWC Academy through three periods was by virtue of them dominating each twenty-minute interval; Jacob Napoleon struck in the first period to put BWC Academy in front, with Josiah Lacerte extending extending the lead with the only goal of the second period. Mitch Wells pulled CDA back within one with a goal early in the third period, but their fight for an equalizer was short-lived, with Evan Vlad (2G) taking barely two and a half minutes to extend the lead. Jaiydan Bhandari made it four before Vlad scored his second, sealing the fifth of the day for BWC and the dominant 5-1 win.
RINK Hockey Academy Winnipeg (3) vs St. George鈥檚 School (5) U18 Prep Western Championships
RHA Winnipeg and St. George鈥檚 School played an extremely back-and-forth game through the first forty minutes; RHA Winnipeg Carter Haney opened the scoring in the first, with Harshaan Kaila (2G, 1A) responding for St. George鈥檚 to send the game into the second tied. London Taylor (1, 1A) and Lukasz McIsaac (1G, 2A) gave St. George鈥檚 a 2-0 lead in the second period, but RHA Winnipeg would make short work of drawing the game back even, thanks to goals less than one minute apart from Layne Schofield and Drayden Uhrina. The third period was a completely different story than the other two, with St. George鈥檚 taking control and dominating from the outset, outshooting their opponents 15-3 in the final twenty minutes. RHA Winnipeg鈥檚 Quinn Burfoot stood tall while under siege in the third but was beaten for the only time in the third period after barely five minutes. Charlie Weaver (1G, 1A) scored the go-ahead goal that would eventually, with an empty netter, stand as the winner, with St. George鈥檚 big third period leading them to a 5-3 victory.听
Notre Dame Hounds (2) vs Pilot Mound Hockey Academy (6) U18 Prep Division II Western Championships
Thursday鈥檚 game between Notre Dame and Pilot Mound had about the most eventful first nine minutes of hockey in the Western Championships thus far, thanks in part to a series of early penalties and powerplay chances. An early Hounds five-on-three gave Notre Dame a 2-0 lead early, with a pair of head contact penalties presenting Tristan Deshaies and Brendan Hurley the opportunity to score. Michael Tracy pulled Pilot Mound back within one, and after Notre Dame鈥檚 turn to take a penalty, Riley Robert struck on the ensuing powerplay to tie the game for PMHA. Caleb DeBruyne took 21 seconds of the second period to give Pilot Mound their first lead of the hockey game, with Matthew Palmer鈥檚 14 second-period saves helping PMHA into the third period with a one-goal lead. Palmer would make 15 stops in the third period, and he鈥檇 get more help, with three PMHA goals in the third sealing a 6-2 win.听
RINK Hockey Academy Winnipeg (6) vs OHA Edmonton (3) U17 Western Championships
Taking a lead into a third period, especially a two-goal lead, can be a somewhat tricky situation; it鈥檚 enough of a lead for some complacency to potentially set in, and if that鈥檚 the case, the game can quickly find its way back to tied. That鈥檚 why RHA Winnipeg鈥檚 third-period performance against OHA Edmonton was as impressive as it was; up 4-2 heading into the third period, RHA Winnipeg was coming off a second in which they were outshot 21-10 by an OHA Edmonton team that could muster only one goal despite their control. A similar third period would have put the RHA Winnipeg lead in some serious jeopardy. That鈥檚 why RHA Winnipeg鈥檚 control of the third period was so impressive; they controlled the vast majority of the final 20 minutes, outshooting OHA Edmonton 23-4. With that being said, the game remained 4-2 into the last two minutes, when on a powerplay, Osten Strickland scored to pull OHA Edmonton within one. RHA Winnipeg finally made good on their shot volume, too, thanks to Atley Feniuk鈥檚 pair of goals to seal the deal late.听
Pacific Coast Hockey Academy (0) vs Edge School (4) U17 Western Championships
Edge School鈥檚 start-to-finish control of the game was evidenced by their overwhelming edge in chance creation and shots on goal, but in the third period, PCHA pushed back. At every turn, however, Emerson Popil stood tall in the Edge School goal, ultimately stopping ten of ten in the third and 25 of 25 in the game to help Edge to the win. Popil鈥檚 shutout performance was slightly overshadowed by that of Darius Odermatt (1G, 3A) who earned a point on each Edge School goal en route to their 4-0 win.听
Prairie Hockey Academy (0) vs RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna (4) U17 Western Championships
In a game marred by overarching incidents that didn鈥檛 involve the players, both sets of squads played a solid 60-minute effort in Thursday鈥檚 game between Prairie Hockey Academy and RHA Kelowna. While RHAK largely outplayed PHA, Prairie generated plenty of their own chances. Kesler Hamilton and Bennett Macek (1G, 1A) had RHAK ahead by two through one, with William Stewart in the RHAK goal ultimately stopping every single one of the 31 shots on goal he faced. Two more went in from RHAK to close things out from Colton Deschamps (1G, 1A) and Ryan Serfas to guide RHAK to the 4-0 win.听
Indigenous Sports Academy (2) vs Coeur d鈥橝lene Hockey Academy (5) U18 Prep Division II Western Championships
Coeur d鈥橝lene Hockey Academy has been rolling through Divison II of the U18 Prep Western Championships by virtue of a high-powered offence, having scored six goals in each of the two previous games. Carson White-Sibley and Aleksandr Skuratov kept that trend going, scoring two goals apiece for CDA, who never trailed throughout their game against Indigenous Sports Academy. ISA never looked especially outmatched, throwing 47 shots on goal and scoring twice, but they couldn鈥檛 muster a comeback once CDA had established a two-goal lead. Bennett Byers stopped 45 for CDA, who now earn their third consecutive victory to start their Western Championships.听
Delta Hockey Academy (6) vs BWC Academy (2) U18 Prep Western Championships
Delta Hockey Academy鈥檚 offensive explosion in the second period of play led the way to their 6-2 thumping of BWC Academy on Thursday, as after Lukas Lima scored the only first-period goal for BWC, Delta scored five in the second period alone, adding a sixth early in the third. Cruz Waltze (2G, 2A), Alexander Laing (2G), and Ryder Dunn (1G, 1A) led the way offensively for Delta, with all three scoring as part of Delta鈥檚 second period explosion. William Shepard scored for BWC in the third, but the goal stood as mere consolation, as Ashton Thornton made every save he needed to make to keep Delta in front big.听
Bishop’s College School (5) vs Bourget College (3) East U18
The two previous matchups earlier in the season between Bishop鈥檚 College School and Bourget College both ended up being razor-thin one-goal games, with each side trading a win apiece in their home-and-home series in Janaury. Just past the halfway point of the game, Bishop鈥檚 had raced out to a 3-0 lead, with Kayden Robitaille鈥檚 goal and assist leading the way. Bourget kept fighting, but every time they scored, Bishop鈥檚 responded in kind, ensuring Bourget failed to get closer than down by two. Bishop鈥檚 took the 5-3 victory to win the season series against Bourget.听
RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna (6) vs Pacific Coast Hockey Academy (3) U18 Prep Western Championships
A fully-dominated first period for RHA Kelowna didn鈥檛 pay dividends as effectively as they would have wanted to. RHAK outshot Pacific Coast Hockey Academy 20-6 in the first period, but PCHA made good on their limited first-period opportunities, scoring twice on just six shots. RHAK did manage to escape the period in front, mustering three first-period goals of their own, including the first of two on the day from Benjamin Bowtell (2G, 1A). While PCHA gradually grew into the game as it went on, RHAK never seceeded from their position in the lead, earning the 4-2 goal from Aidan Fisher late in the second period. Bowtell scored again early in the third, paving the way for an eventual 6-3 victory.听
Notre Dame Hounds (9) vs Northern Alberta Xtreme (1) U17 Division II Western Championships
The Notre Dame Hounds took an early lead in their U17 Division II Western Championship game against the Northern Alberta Xtreme and remained in control throughout the game. Two goals from the Hounds in the first preempted Notre Dame鈥檚 four in the second, with NAX鈥檚 goal late in the second standing as their only one, and Notre Dame scoring three more in the third to cap off a 9-1 win. The Hounds were bolstered by three-point performances from Brandon Thompson (1G, 2A) and Joshua Legette (1G, 2A), with Landon Sokoloski鈥檚 five points (2G, 3A) the standout.听
Shawnigan Lake School (1) vs Northern Alberta Xtreme (5) U18 Prep Western Championships
Northern Alberta Xtreme did the damage they needed to do in the first forty minutes of their Thursday afternoon battle with Shawnigan Lake School, outshooting their opponents 27-9 and outscoring them 4-1 through two periods, with Michael Donovan鈥檚 three points leading the way. NAX got a little bit complacent in the third, with SLS taking control, but being unable to mount a comeback, thanks to Tyler Swanson鈥檚 15 saves on 15 third-period shots. NAX鈥檚 victory is a great bounce back after their loss to BWC yesterday.听
South Alberta Hockey Academy (4) vs Okanagan Hockey Academy (2)
South Alberta Hockey Academy鈥檚 first game of the Western Championships ended in heartbreak yesterday, with Josh McKague鈥檚 overtime winner for OHA Edmonton downing SAHA. Gavin Lesiuk had a big first period for SAHA, popping up with a goal and an assist, but he鈥檇 have that performance nullified by a similar one from OHA. Jackson Roberts responded in kind with a goal and an assist, pulling the game back to tied with his powerplay marker in the third period. The game looked destined for overtime, but desperate to find a different result than their game yesterday, SAHA鈥檚 late pressure paid off. Cole Fisher scored with 2:04 left to give SAHA the lead, with Brayden Ryan-Mackay (2G, 1A) sealing the deal into the empty net to give SAHA a 4-2 victory.
North Shore Warriors (1) vs Okanagan Hockey Academy (10) U17 Western Championships
OHA outshot North Shore 59-23 en route to a 10-1 win Thursday evening. Gage Kiselbach (2G, 4A) and Lucan Kostiuk (2G, 3A) led the way offensively, each scoring two goals for OHA in the win. Beckham Taggart (1G, 2A) and Cooper Vogt (1G, 2A) each had a goal and two assists and Tyson Kuiack (22/23) made 22 saves in net for the win. Noah Russo scored the lone North Shore goal early in the second period to end the Kuiack shutout dream.
OHA Edmonton (2) vs Yale Hockey Academy (6) U18 Prep Western Championships
Nathan Kam (25/27) and Parker Snell (38/44) kept clean sheets in the first period as neither team broke through in the opening 20. Ryker Swanson would get the game’s first goal 9:44 into the second and Ilija Majkic doubled the Yale lead 6:15 later. Gus Schill (1G, 1A), Jacob Dumansky and Carter Bylycia scored early in the third as Yale began to run away with it, grabbing a 5-0 lead. Parker Fitzgerald (1G, 1A) halted the run midway through the period though Eli Barrett quickly replied for Yale. Paulo Borrelli would score a late consolation goal for OHA Edmonton with four seconds remaining.听
Prairie Hockey Academy (7) vs Edge School (6) U18 Prep Western Championships
Adam M鈥橦amed (2G, 1A) opened the scoring 2:09 in on the power play as Edge grabbed an early lead. That lead was short lived as Reid Fraser countered for Prairie 12 seconds later. M鈥橦amed would restore the Edge lead 2:16 after that as the two teams combined for three goals in the opening five. Luke Myhre tied the game on the power play and Noah Kelly put Prairie ahead going into the second period. The two teams would trade power play goals in the second with Kale Pratte (2G, 1A) scoring for Prairie and Dallin Antos (2G, 2A) countering for Edge. Mirco Dufour brought Edge level early in the third with his third of the Championships. Grant Gliege (1G, 1A) restored the Prairie lead with a shorthanded goal but Antos tied the game on the same power play 19 seconds later and fellow defenseman Joaquin Geras (1G, 1A) put Edge ahead late. However, Edge would take two late penalties, opening the door for Hubert Larose (1G, 2A) to tie the game with 48 seconds left and Pratte to score the game winner with 10 seconds remaining.听
North Shore Warriors (0) vs Calgary International Hockey Academy (4) U18 Prep Western Championships
Sartaj Dhami (24/24) and Georgi Milanov (30/34) kept clean sheets in the first as the period ended tied 0-0. Scott Sandilands opened the scoring for CIHA midway through the second before Aden Bouchard (1G, 1A) and Lincoln Martin (1G, 1A) scored 51 seconds apart late in the period to increase the CIHA advantage to 3-0. Townes Kozicky (1G, 1A) scored the lone third period goal to round out the scoring in a 4-0 CIHA win over North Shore.