In a back-and-forth battle that required extra time, the 18U AAA Kootenay HA emerged with a hard-fought 4-3 victory over the Calgary Rockies. The game was a special teams showcase early, with both teams capitalizing on power plays. The Rockies struck first on the man-advantage, with Joshua Van Den Bussche (#77) converting a setup from Carson Paulgaard (#10) midway through the opening frame. Kootenay answered back before the period ended, as Andrew Misson (#16) found the net with help from Isaiah Willoughby (#24) to knot the score at 1-1.
The second period saw the offenses open up. Kootenay's Marcus de Zwart (#11), assisted by Alex Johnson (#15), gave the home team its first lead. The Rockies responded quickly, with Brody Bilick (#72) tying the game just over a minute later, thanks to a feed from Emery Haxby (#18). As the period wound down, a Kootenay penalty proved costly. With just 20 seconds left on the clock, the Rockies' Nolan Van Waes (#17) buried a power-play goal, assisted by Devon Beecher (#84), to send Calgary into the intermission with a 3-2 lead. The physical play intensified, with a flurry of penalties including a too-many-men bench minor against the Rockies and an illegal check to the head call on Kootenay's Parker Thom (#4).
Kootenay refused to go quietly in the third. Blaine Nelson (#25) became the hero of regulation, scoring a crucial even-strength goal with assists from Aiden Stefano (#37) to tie the game at 3-3 and force overtime. The extra frame was a tense affair, but Kootenay completed the comeback. Bryce Birmingham (#17) etched his name on the scoresheet with the game-winning goal, securing a dramatic 4-3 victory for the home side. Despite a strong 36-save performance from Rockies netminder Rylan Harder (#31), it was Kootenay's persistence and timely scoring that sealed the win in a contest defined by momentum swings and playoff-level intensity.
14U AAA - HC Edmonton
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15U AAA - Bow Valley HC
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