The 17U AAA Epic Hockey Academy unleashed a relentless offensive attack and capitalized on a parade of Coquitlam HC penalties to secure a commanding 7-1 victory. From the opening puck drop, Epic Hockey set the tone, outshooting Coquitlam 16-7 in the first period and converting three power-play goals to build an insurmountable lead. The special teams unit was lethal, with Campbell Lehto leading the charge, scoring twice and adding three assists for a five-point night. He was instrumental on the first goal, feeding Austin Riggs for the early power-play marker. Cruze Campbell then netted the game-winner, also on the power play, before Lehto capped the first-period onslaught with a man-advantage goal of his own, assisted by Andrei Gurdis and Carter Cox. The period was marred by undisciplined play from Coquitlam, including a major penalty for checking from behind by Ethan Caputo, which put them in a deep hole they could never climb out of.
The second period saw Epic Hockey continue to roll at even strength. Ty Maroney extended the lead early, and Cruze Campbell netted his second of the game to make it 5-0. Coquitlam's lone bright spot came from Kwonlyn Choi, who broke Cash Vandergulik's shutout bid with an assist from Danwoo Kim. However, the middle frame was again defined by chippy play and misconducts, with Coquitlam's Theron Lashley receiving a 10-minute misconduct. Despite a more competitive shot total of 15-16 in the period, Coquitlam's goalies, Cristiano Pelegrin-Hicks and Joel Paladino, were under constant siege, facing a combined 53 shots through two periods.
Any thought of a Coquitlam comeback was extinguished early in the third period when Campbell Lehto completed his dominant performance with another power-play goal, his second of the game. Liam Taylor added a final even-strength tally to seal the 7-1 final. The game concluded with a flurry of misconducts, as Epic's Carter Cox and Coquitlam's Danwoo Kim were both ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct in the final minutes. In net, Epic Hockey's Cash Vandergulik was a wall, turning aside 26 of 27 shots for the win, while his team's explosive power play, which went 4-for-the-night, proved to be the ultimate difference-maker in a one-sided affair.
14U AAA - HC Edmonton
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15U AAA - Bow Valley HC
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