The Langley HA 17U AAA team used a relentless offensive attack and a stellar goaltending performance to secure a convincing 6-2 win over the Okanagan HC on home ice. The game was a tight contest through two periods before Langley exploded in the final frame to put the game out of reach. The story of the night was the offensive outburst from Langley's Reid Birtch, who netted a natural hat trick in the third period, including the game-winning goal.
The first period set the tone for Langley's territorial dominance, as they outshot Okanagan 12-7 and opened the scoring. Ivan Latyshev, assisted by Dominic Hall, found the back of the net midway through the period to give Langley an early 1-0 lead. The second period saw a flurry of action. Langley's Carden Fraser extended the lead early, but Okanagan responded with two quick goals to tie the game. First, Hudson Mendez scored with helpers from Mason Casorso and Mason McWhirter. Then, with just 19 seconds left in the period, Okanagan captain Kayden Patkau capitalized on a play set up by Harry Watson to knot the score at 2-2 heading into the intermission. The period was also marked by penalties, with Okanagan's Ryder Oaten and Patkau, along with Langley's Micah Sidhu, all serving minors.
Any momentum Okanagan carried into the third period was swiftly erased by Langley's Reid Birtch. Just over seven minutes into the period, Birtch scored the eventual game-winner, assisted by Tyson Osterberg and Zachary Smith. He wasn't done, scoring again just over eight minutes later from Smith, and completing his hat trick a mere ten seconds after that, this time from Cashton Smith. The onslaught continued as Zachary Smith sealed the victory with an empty-net goal in the final minute, with Birtch and Osterberg picking up the assists. Langley's Aidan Lazazzera was a wall in net, turning aside all 19 shots he faced for a shutout performance, while his team fired 45 shots on Okanagan's Nicholas Cresswell. The final period was a masterclass in control from Langley, who outshot Okanagan 12-4 and turned a tie game into a decisive four-goal victory.
14U AAA - HC Edmonton
14U AAA - Surrey Eagles HA
15U AAA - Bow Valley HC
15U AAA - Langley HA
