The 17U AAA clash between Victoria HA and Island HC was a tale of special teams and third-period dominance, with Victoria ultimately skating away with a convincing 4-1 victory. The first period was a tightly contested, penalty-filled affair that saw both teams exchange power play opportunities but fail to capitalize. The physical tone was set early with interference, boarding, and hooking minors, and a late Illegal Check to the Head penalty against Island's Rylan Turgeon gave Victoria a chance to start the second period with a man advantage. They made it count just 51 seconds into the middle frame when Blake Sanderson buried a power-play goal, assisted by Reggie Lott and Linden Wilson, to open the scoring.
Island HC responded on their own power play midway through the period. With Victoria's William Brain in the box for roughing, Wyatt Fyfe found the back of the net, with helpers from Gavin Robertshaw and Mateo Lobos-Worger, to tie the game at 1-1. The period descended into chaos in the final two minutes, with a flurry of penalties including a double-minor for hooking and unsportsmanlike conduct to Victoria's William Brain and matching roughing and unsportsmanlike calls to Island's Maksim Kostadinov and Joel Perret. Despite the chippy play, the game remained deadlocked heading into the final period.
The third period belonged entirely to Victoria HA. They came out flying and were rewarded just 59 seconds in when Blake Sanderson scored his second of the game, an even-strength marker assisted by Milo Maurer, which stood as the game-winner. Victoria continued to pour on the pressure, outshooting Island 16-7 in the final frame. Reggie Lott extended the lead midway through the period, with Sanderson and Nathan Laird picking up the assists. Sanderson then completed his hat trick with just over five minutes to play, sealing the 4-1 win with another assist from Laird and a helper from Haze Helle. While Island's goalie put up a valiant effort facing 33 shots, Victoria's offensive explosion in the third, led by the dynamic Blake Sanderson, was simply too much to handle.
14U AAA - HC Edmonton
14U AAA - Surrey Eagles HA
15U AAA - Bow Valley HC
15U AAA - Langley HA
