In a wild, back-and-forth affair, the Coquitlam HC 18U AAA squad emerged with a narrow 6-5 victory over the Kootenay HA. The game was a showcase of offensive firepower and special teams drama from the opening faceoff. Kootenay's Isaiah Willoughby set the tone early, scoring just 15 seconds into the game. Coquitlam responded quickly, with Christiano D'Addabbo tying the game less than a minute later. The first period was a penalty-filled affair, with Coquitlam taking four minors, and Kootenay capitalized with a power-play goal from Blaine Nelson. However, Coquitlam's Colby Monette answered before the intermission to knot the score at 2-2, setting the stage for a chaotic middle frame.
The second period saw the offenses continue to trade blows. Coquitlam's Matteo Kokkas gave his team its first lead, assisted by Xander Dibble, but Blaine Nelson struck again for Kootenay to tie the game at 3-3 heading into the third. The final period descended into chaos and became the defining chapter of the game. Just after a series of coincidental minors created a 4-on-4 situation, Coquitlam's Dexter Jung scored a crucial shorthanded goal to put his team ahead. Kootenay fought back, with Marcus de Zwart scoring to make it 4-4, but Nelson completed his hat trick to give Kootenay a 5-4 lead with just over ten minutes to play. With time winding down and Coquitlam on the penalty kill, Christiano D'Addabbo delivered his second goal of the night, another shorthanded tally assisted by Blake Miller, to force overtime.
The extra frame was tense, with Kootenay taking a costly holding penalty. With no winner in overtime, the game proceeded to a shootout, where Dexter Jung sealed the dramatic victory for Coquitlam, converting his penalty shot opportunity. The goaltenders faced a barrage all night, with Kootenay firing 47 shots to Coquitlam's 40, but in the end, the home team's resilience on the penalty kill—scoring twice shorthanded—and the clutch performances of Jung and D'Addabbo proved to be the difference in a classic Junior Prospects Hockey League showdown.
14U AAA - HC Edmonton
14U AAA - Surrey Eagles HA
15U AAA - Bow Valley HC
15U AAA - Langley HA
