Prairie Hockey Academy (2) vs STAR Hockey Academy (9) U15 Division II Western Championships
Sunday morning belonged to STAR Hockey Academy because the game belonged to Seve Paladino (3G, 1A), who started his 2025 Division II Western Championships off right by completing a hat-trick before the second period of STAR and Prairie Hockey Academy’s game had even concluded. It was in the second that two from Paladino and a powerplay goal from Kaido Kennedy (1G, 1A) stretched STAR’s lead beyond what PCHA could hope to keep up with, and a dominant third period served as the cherry on top of a strong performance from STAR. Camden Freeman (1G, 3A) added a third-period goal to cap off his four-point game and his team’s 9-2 win.
Northern Alberta Xtreme (5) vs Delta Hockey Academy (6) U17 Prep Western Championships
Delta Hockey Academy should, and quite frankly, will view their opener of the U17 Prep Western Championships against Northern Alberta Xtreme as no doubt a bullet dodged. Delta held a three-goal advantage at two different points of this hockey game, leading 5-2 at the beginning of the third period, but nearly let it slip away. Through forty minutes, Jack Morgan had scored three and Kishan Saggu twice, to help Delta to their three-goal cushion. Delta were put on notice early in the third, with a powerplay goal from Tyrie Ehrenberg after a mere 21 seconds pulling NAX back within two. From there, Rylan Poitras (2G, 1A) went to work, scoring twice in a five and a half minute stretch to tie the game at five heading towards the end of the third period. From there, the game could have been anybody’s, and despite NAX’s surge of momentum in the third period, it was Delta who found a winner prior to overtime. Kesler Curtis had scored a mere five goals in 36 regular season games heading into this one, but was the unlikely hero for Delta, popping up with what proved to be the game-winner with just over five minutes left to play.
Indigenous Sports Academy (2) vs St. George’s School (6) U17 Prep Division II Western Championships
Calling the game played by the Indigenous Sports Academy on Monday morning a “twenty-minute effort” might even be a little bit too generous. ISA came out of the gate strong, not only controlling the game but making good on said control. Jonel Daychief and Hudson Albert’s goals had ISA in front within five minutes, and when you take the first period as a whole, ISA was the better side; they scored more goals and outshot their opponents 11-7. You could sense, though, that St. George’s were awakened by the early two-goal hole they found themselves in, turning the pressure up themselves. They’d find a lifeline through Aaron Castro (3G), who scored with under one minute left in the first to pull his team within one. Early on in what turned out to be an evenly-fought second period, Noah Chen (1G, 1A) tied the score at two goals apiece, where it would stay until just shy of the halfway point of the third period. At that point, a pair of ISA penalties, one of which was a double-minor for kneeing, gave the St. George’s powerplay an opportunity they’d make good on. Maddox Hoo scored on the five-on-three to give St. George’s the lead, and 33 seconds later, it was a 4-2 game, thanks to Jason Gao. Aaron Castro scored twice more to complete his hat-trick and seal the deal for St. George’s, with their four-goal third period propelling them to a 6-2 win.
Pacific Coast Hockey Academy (2) vs RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna (9) U17 Prep Western Championships
By the time the final buzzer sounded to bring RHA Kelowna and Pacific Coast Hockey Academy’s U17 Prep Western Championships opener to a close, RHA Kelowna’s victory could be boiled down to their relentlessness. They outshot Pacific Coast in every period, including by a 21-8 margin in the third, took their lead early, and never let Pacific Coast back on even terms. Two first-period goals off the stick of Joshua Johnstone (2G) gave RHA Kelowna a two-goal advantage early, and while Pacific Coast was able to get back within one during the second, the RHA Kelowna duo of Rhett Tubello (3G) and Reid Rabinovitch (1G, 3A) went to work, scoring four goals between them at the end of the second and start of the third periods. RHA Kelowna made sure in the third period, extending their lead further and ultimately prevailing 9-2.
Notre Dame Hounds (0) vs Pacific Coast Hockey Academy (3) U15 Division II Western Championships
Clichés in hockey exist because the recipe for winning any game is standard enough, and on Monday afternoon, Pacific Coast Hockey Academy made good on the “if at first you don’t succeed, try again” cliché in the first period of their game against the Notre Dame Hounds. PCHA controlled each of the three periods but, early on, struggled to beat Soren Martin in the Hounds crease. After Martin and Notre Dame successfully killed off their two previous first-period penalties, Jax Baumuller took a double-minor for Head Contact, and PCHA finally broke through. Callan McCall’s powerplay goal opened the scoring with 85 seconds to play in the first, and while PCHA would fail to score on an early second-period powerplay, they’d double their lead shortly after, thanks to a goal from Liam Hussey. The final nail in the coffin came off the stick of Kaz Westcott, his goal making it 3-0 and helping PCHA to a win in their first game at the Division II Western Championships.
Yale Hockey Academy (2) vs OHA Edmonton (4) U17 Prep Western Championships
Yale Hockey Academy went 21-12-3 in the regular season; an impressive record, but not one that saw them threaten for a spot near the top of the U17 Prep standings. OHA Edmonton, conversely, had the fourth-best regular season record in the division and would go into their opener against Yale as favourites. The game’s shots on goal indicated as such, with OHA Edmonton outshooting Yale 15-9 in the first, 17-8 in the second, and 15-9 in the third. The advantage in shots on goal led to an advantage in high-danger scoring chances as well, but through the game’s first fifty minutes, OHA Edmonton still hadn’t scored, constantly running into Jason Ho between the pipes for the Lions.. Gavin Bradley’s second-period marker for Yale remained the only one until the third-period clock showed nine minutes left, when finally, OHA Edmonton broke through, thanks to an Owen Morrow (2G, 1A) equalizer. Matteo Di Stefano scored 62 seconds later to give Yale the lead back, but OHA Edmonton never took their foot off the gas, and while it took nearly the entire game, they finally broke through the floodgates late in the third; in a 76-second span, OHA Edmonton would grab goals through Jaggar John, Evan Dowling (1G, 2A), and a second from Owen Morrow to help them to a come-from-behind 4-2 victory to open up the U17 Prep Western Championships.
Okanagan Hockey Academy (4) vs Calgary International Hockey Academy (8) U15 Western Championships
Once the lead was established by the Calgary International Hockey Academy on Monday, they’d do little to indicate their control of the contest was anything but secure. Liam Nycholat (3G) and Brik McCord Cooper (1G, 1A) each scored first-period goals to send CIHA on their way, and even though Okanagan Hockey Academy would stay close until the end of the second, Reid Grierson (1G, 2A) extended CIHA’s lead to 5-2. Nycholat completed his hat-trick in the third, and while Jace Williams managed to score twice for OHA, he could only get them within four, with CIHA taking the contest 8-4.
Shawnigan Lake School (6) vs BWC Academy (2) U17 Prep Division II Western Championships
What happens in the middle of a period of hockey matters very, very little when you start and end a period the way Shawnigan Lake School did against BWC on Monday. Samuel Wilson (1G, 1A) scored merely 25 seconds into the hockey game to get the party started for Shawnigan, who ended up with a two-goal lead heading into the final moments of the second period. McAllister Mugford (1G, 2A) found the back of the net with nineteen seconds left to extend the Shawnigan lead to three. That in itself would have been an excellent ending to the second for Shawnigan, but they wouldn’t be done yet, thanks to Ryder Kerr (1G, 1A) managing to score merely four seconds after Mugford’s tally. The pair of goals late in the period were backbreakers, and even though BWC would dominate the remaining forty minutes, Shawnigan’s cushion was enough (with some help) to see them to a 6-2 victory.
North Shore Warriors (3) vs Edge School (10) U15 Western Championships
Taking a step back, you could say Monday’s afternoon clash between the North Shore Warriors and Edge School was the tale of two somewhat distinct hockey games. The first started with the drop of the puck and encompassed the entirety of the first two periods, as well as about six-and-a-half minutes of the third, and the second picks up with 13:30 on the clock in the third period and lasts until the end of the hockey game. The first part of this game featured two teams engaged in an extremely tightly-fought battle, especially at five-on-five, with Easton Armstrong’s two second-period goals for Edge the only negligible difference. Cohen Waite (2G) scored early in the third period to pull North Shore a step closer to Edge, with the Warriors down 4-2 heading into the game’s last 13 minutes. That’s where the second part of this game picks up, and unfortunately for North Shore, this version of the Edge School Mountaineers wouldn’t be slowed, let alone stopped. In what was ultimately less than eleven minutes, Edge scored six, with Matteo Dufour (3G) and Brody Antignani (3G, 2A) scoring a hat-trick each in the third period alone. Edge sent a game-high 19 shots on goal in the third, scoring seven times en route to the 10-3 victory.
Wenatchee Wild Hockey Academy (2) vs North Shore Warriors (5) U17 Prep Division II Western Championships
The North Shore Warriors and Wenatchee Wild Hockey Academy played a strikingly even game Monday, with both teams generating thirty shots on goal apiece and a similar number of high-danger scoring chances throughout the contest. Despite how even much of the game was, the contest needed a difference, which came in the form of the special teams prowess of the North Shore Warriors. Samuel Shepard and Tobin Schaefer (1G, 1A) scored a goal apiece on the only two powerplays of the game for North Shore, while Nash Dickson (1G, 1A) was able to score what turned out to be the game-winner shorthanded in the second period. In addition to the offensive output, North Shore’s penalty kill was successful four out of the five times they were tested, including thrice in the third period to help the Warriors to a 5-2 victory.
Notre Dame Hounds (5) vs STAR Hockey Academy (6) U17 Prep Division II Western Championships
The previous game in the U17 Prep Division II Western Championships didn’t have a single lead change; North Shore hit the front and stayed in front. Notre Dame and STAR’s Monday afternoon clash was the direct contrast. Notre Dame took the game’s first lead through an early Logan Arnold goal, starting the pendulum of momentum that swung back and forth all game. STAR turned the contest around to lead 2-1, eventually 3-2 through forty minutes, but wouldn’t retain the lead forever. A pair of early third-period goals from Notre Dame gave the Hounds a 4-3 lead, one that would, again, slip out of their hands quickly. Zachary Schmidt (1G, 1A) and Colton Stabbler (1G, 1A), who scored a goal and assist each during the game, socred back-to-back goals to reestablish STAR’s lead. Following the trend of every lead before it, STAR’s advantage was short-lived, as Trystan Hamming scored for Notre Dame to tie things up at five. The game marched into overtime all tied up, and after both teams had just one shot on goal each through the first four minutes, Ewen Willers (1G, 3A) stole the puck in the offensive zone and broke in to win the game for STAR Hockey Academy, giving them the win in the 6-5 thriller.
St. George’s School (5) vs RINK Hockey Academy Winnipeg (2) U15 Division II Western Championships
After a majority of back-and-forth play through the opening twenty, RHA Winnipeg’s Bo Sabourin would break the ice, cleaning up the rebound off Kelson Hawreluik’s shot and entry. Come the second period, St. George’s would find their stride. Luca Rogers (2G, 2A) would wire home a beautiful feed from Hudson Lesk (2A) on the powerplay while Minsoo Lee showed off his hand-eye for a clean up job in close to give the Saints the lead. St. George’s would keep piling on the pressure in the third, picking up another three goals to extend their lead. Max Xing would rifle home an extra one for RHA Winnipeg in the late stages of the frame.
Prairie Hockey Academy (3) vs South Alberta Hockey Academy (1) U17 Prep Western Championships
SAHA would maintain control for a majority of the first but would leave the period with a one goal deficit due to Nixon Friesen’s breakaway finish part way through the frame. Prairie would show more life offensively in the second as Kade Kahovec and Luke Pratte would each bury one. Kahovec would beat Hunter Zawislak (34/37) with a cannon from the left circle while Pratte lifted a wrister over the glove on a lone rush. Kutcher Aquila would get SAHA on the board halfway through the third, beating Drake Mooney (38/39) glove side. However, this was all SAHA was able to muster on to the scoresheet as Mooney steered aside the rest of their 38-shots, backing Prairie to their first win of the CSSHL Western Championships.
Edge School (4) vs Okanagan Hockey Academy (5/SO) U17 Prep Western Championships
Special teams were popping off early for OHA in a highly-anticipated matchup with Edge School. Maxx Parfitt (3G) would strike first with a powerplay marker, just trickling through Carsten Leyerzapf (45/49). A couple minutes later, Ethan Dimand would pot a shorthanded breakaway, giving OHA an early 2-0 advantage. However, Edge would close out the period strong as Reeve Waugh would rifle home their first while Kyle Oakenfold put away a beauty, tying everything up before the first intermission. History would repeat itself in the second with Parfitt scoring first, restoring OHA’s lead. But Edge was right on OHA’s tail as Antonio Cazac brought things back to even to close out the second frame. Parfitt would go on to ignite the scoring again in the third, batting one out of mid-air for his hat-trick. Edge sniper Ashton McCann would respond later in the frame, enough to force overtime. In OT, both teams would see their fair share of chances. Parfitt would have the best of those chances in the dying seconds, just missing a through-the-legs attempt moments before the buzzer sounded. A shootout was needed and no one could beat either Leyerzapf or Linden Sobocan (35/39) in the first four shooters. Sobocan would stone Jack Bissoon in the fifth round, giving OHA captain, Luke Assi (2A) the opportunity to put things to bed. Assi would dance on in before wiring one top left over the blocker of Leyerzapf, putting an end to an instant classic at the 2025 CSSHL Western Championships.
BWC Academy (5) vs Delta Hockey Academy White (3) U15 Western Championships
Ryder Pavlic would open the scoring for Delta White in a Lower Mainland showdown with BWC Academy to ignite their Western Championship run. However, BWC Academy would find their legs shortly after surrendering that first goal as Ryker Carson (2G) would score BWC Academy’s first goal of the game. Carson would open the scoring in the second to give BWC Academy their first lead while a sharp angle shot from Theo Falk doubled their advantage. Carson Brown would get one back for Delta Black in the late stages of the frame but Eric Prexler (1G, 1A) would immediately restore BWC Academy’s lead just over a minute later. Teams would trade goals in the third as BWC Academy’s three goal explosion in the second was enough to give them the edge over their geographic foes. Jordan Bigelow (38/41) steered 38-shots aside in the win, improving BWC Academy’s record to 2-0-0 at the CSSHL Western Championships.
OHA Edmonton (3) vs Delta Hockey Academy Black (5) U15 Western Championships
Delta Black kick started their Western Championships with an all out scoring fest in the first period, racking up three goals before the ice clean. Scoring would slow down in the second with the lone goal coming off the stick of Matteo Gambetti (2G) in the late stages of the frame. Gambetti would net another in the early phase of the third, sparking some hope for potentially another come from behind victory for OHA Edmonton. However, just over a minute later, Woojin Seo (2G) would beat out an icing before placing one top corner to restore Delta Black’s two goal spread. Jaxson Weisberber would quickly respond once more for OHA Edmonton, but that was the last biscuit they put past Brayden Allan (37/40). Allan would post 37-saves in the win while Seo added the late insurance marker for his second of the evening.
RINK Hockey Academy Winnipeg (4) vs Calgary International Hockey Academy (7) U17 Prep Western Championships
What would seem as an un-ideal start for CIHA turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Mason Moran (2G, 1A) and Aedan McCarry (1G, 1A) potted consecutive shorthanded goals to open the scoring. RHA Winnipeg would get on the board in the final stages of the frame after Isaac Sousa (1G, 2A) blasted home a loose puck in tight. CIHA would take total control in the second, scoring four unanswered with two goals coming off of sweet feeds from William Matte (3A). Brady Keith (1G, 1A) would get one back for RHA Winnipeg late in the frame once again coming off a nice feed, this time from Sousa. Keegan Bragnalo would open the scoring in the third for RHA Winnipeg but that was all they were able to get past Braxton Gibson (41/45) in the final frame as CIHA would go on to take their opening match at the Western Championships. Zane Rains (2G, 1A) would add a late goal to complete a three point evening.
