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CANUCKS PUSH EXCITING SEMI FINAL FINISH

by cflett

Centennial Cup: Day 9 recap
Saturday, May 18, 2024

Collingwood Blues 5, Miramichi Timberwolves 2

Cameron Eke (St. Catherines, ON) registered four assists in the win for Collingwood.
Jack Rimmer (Toronto, ON) scored twice.
Calum Chau (Oakville, ON) chipped in with two assists.
Ludovic Dufort (Laval, QC) and Elliot Robert (Trois-Rivières, QC) replied with goals for Miramichi.

Melfort Mustangs 2, Calgary Canucks 1

James Venne (Saskatoon, SK) turned in a 27 save performance for Melfort.
Ryan Duguay (Edmonton, AB) and Chase Friedt-Mohr (Prince Albert, SK) scored for Melfort.
Ty Hipkin (High River, AB) had the lone goal for Calgary.
Julian Molinaro (Mississauga, ON) made 22 saves.

Next Game – Championship Game (Sunday, May 19)

Melfort Mustangs vs. Collingwood Blues – 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT

Quotes:

“I think it’s the culture we’ve built in our room. We all love each other, we’re one big family and every time we get out on the ice, we want to do everything to get the win. I think just buying in and everyone playing their role has been huge for us so far. This really means everything for us. It’s been our goal all year to make it to the final and we’ll be excited to go. It’s our first time playing in a national championship … a once in a lifetime opportunity and we have to give it our all tomorrow.”

Eke on how his team has found success this season

“We were kind of looked at like the underdogs coming into this tournament, we had the resilience and character in our team and kept making strides forward. We took it one game at a time and got the results up to this point. The guys believed in each other—it was about buying into the teamwork and we just have a really special group in the locker room. It’s a great accomplishment for our team to be here, we’re from a town of 18,000 people and come from basically nothing. They just bought in. It’s great for our organization, our city and this was something great to be a part of.”

Miramichi Timberwolves head coach Kory Baker on his team’s performance throughout the tournament

“It was just a great effort. We’ve gotten better every day and with every game, and tonight was our best effort—it had to be. You have to give a lot of credit to Calgary; they played a hard game and it was a close game with a bounce here or there that could have gone another way. Obviously, they had a wide-open chance at the end, but we’re very proud of our group and how they’ve handled themselves to get to this position.

“He’s been rock-solid for us and maybe he hasn’t had the best tournament thus far with stats and numbers, but he makes saves at the right time. He’s a competitor. Sometimes it’s not about how many saves you make, it’s about the timely ones. Tonight was a perfect example of how he locked it down in the third period. He’s been huge for us in key points and his play doesn’t surprise me.”

Melfort head coach and general manager Trevor Blevins on his team’s effort and the play of Venne

Centennial Cup: Day 8 recap
Friday, May 17, 2024 

Miramichi Timberwolves 8, Navan Grads 4

Hugo Audette (Mercier, QC) and Elliot Robert (Trois-Rivières, QC) had three-point nights each with two goals and one assist.
Adam Rouleau (Rouyn-Noranda, QC) stopped 38 of 42 shots faced.
Matthew Roy (Stittsville, ON) finished with one goal and two assists.
Jaeden Nelson (Ottawa, ON) made 34 saves.

Calgary Canucks 4, Winkler Flyers 2

Ty Hipkin (High River, AB), Chris Kobelka (Calgary, AB), Matthew Paszkiewicz (Calgary, AB) and Gavin Schmidt (Okotoks, AB) scored for Calgary.
Ethan Casper (Calgary, AB) had a pair of assists for Calgary.
Zach Nicolas (Winnipeg, MB) registered a goal and an assist for Winkler.
Malachi Klassen (Winkler, MB) turned aside 32 of 36 shots.

Next Games – Semifinals (Saturday, May 18)

Miramichi Timberwolves vs. Collingwood Blues – 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT

Calgary Canucks vs. Melfort Mustangs – 7:30 pm. ET/4:30 p.m. PT

Quotes:

“For them scoring three in a row (in the second period), then us getting the late power play goal going into the intermission, it was a huge momentum shift and it dictated the third period. I think sometimes teams coming out of the Maritimes can get overlooked, but hopefully we can change that reputation this year.

“I think it helps a bit not having a long layoff between qualifying for the tournament and then getting back on the ice. We were able to enjoy that moment and then it’s right back to business. I don’t think we’ll change anything in our preparations for the semifinals, we’ll leave that to the coaching staff. Whoever it is, we’ll go over their players and their systems and we’ll be ready for whoever our next opponent is.”

Cole Foston (Beaver Bank, NS) on playoff preparations

“This is a tough one because we expected to be moving on. We thought we were going to come out and play our game, but we struggled early and couldn’t get on track, yet we can’t overlook the success of the team this year. The community of Navan was rallying behind us and this team has never gotten this far before. It’s a balancing act between, ‘Man, I wish we would have played better,’ and ‘Man, we accomplished a lot.’ Overall, it’s been a really rewarding season. These guys never gave me one ounce of trouble all year. On or off the ice, they were a pleasure to coach; the staff worked hard day in and day out and I was just there to steer the bus and go along for the ride. My heart goes out to the 20-year-olds who are done junior hockey—these are the best years of their life.

Navan Grads head coach Marty Abrams reflections on the season coming to an end

“Me and Ty Hipkin played with Aidyn Hutchinson back in Fort McMurray, so obviously it’s a bit personal. I know some of the guys from Calgary [on the Mustangs] and we’re not going to take them lightly. Obviously, they’re here for a reason—every team is a champion and every game is a Game 7. One mistake and your season could be over. You’re playing on the line every shift; every puck that goes by could go in, so you have to put your body on the line. We’re looking forward to doing this again tomorrow.”

Calgary defenceman Kobelka on facing Melfort in the semifinals

“It’s such a tight-knit group in there—guys that have blood, sweat and tears for many years together and went on a mission this summer to try to breakthrough and that’s what they did. What a playoff run they had, what a season they had and they were able to hoist a championship in Winkler Arena. Three 20-year-olds from our town grew up watching that team, going to every game. Now they had an opportunity to not only represent that jersey in a way that we’re so proud of as a staff and a community, but they got to be a champion as well. It’s exciting for them, but it’s not the result we wanted here—a few bounces here and there and I think everyone could say it could’ve gone in a different direction—but [we’re] proud of the guys and their effort as they should be very proud of themselves.”

Winkler Mustangs head coach Justin Falk on his team’s first national appearance in 32 years

Centennial Cup: Day 6 recap
Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Melfort Mustangs 5, Sioux Lookout Bombers 3

Danton Cox (Prince Albert, SK) led the way with a pair of goals and an assist for Melfort.
Ryan Duguay (Edmonton, AB) added two goals for the Mustangs.
Owen Riffel (Onanole, MB) had a goal and an assist for Sioux Lookout.
Jack Osmond (Edmonton, AB) made 33 saves and was named Player of the Game for Sioux Lookout.

Calgary Canucks 4, Navan Grads 3 (SO)

Nolan Paquette (Calgary, AB) registered a goal and an assist for Calgary.
Easton Hewson (Edmonton, AB) chipped in with two assists.
Jaeden Nelson (Ottawa, ON) had a 29-save performance for Navan.
Cristobal Tola (Georgetown, ON) was named Player of the Game for Navan with a goal and an assist.

Miramichi Timberwolves 3, Winkler Flyers 2 (SO)

Elliot Robert (Trois-Rivières, QC) and Justin David (Pigeon Hill, NB) added a goal each for Miramichi.
Adam Rouleau (Rouyn-Noranda, QC) stopped 40 of 42 shots, earning Player of the Game honours.
Connor Jensen (Spokane, WA) scored a pair of goals for Winkler.
Zach Nicolas (Winnipeg, MB) and Isaiah Peters (Langley, BC) added an assist each for the Flyers.

Next Games (Wednesday, May 15)

Greater Sudbury Cubs vs. Collège Français de Longueuil – 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT

Collingwood Blues vs. Navan Grads – 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT

Melfort Mustangs vs. Oakville Blades – 7:30 pm. ET/4:30 p.m. PT

Quotes:

“It’s not that we didn’t like our start, but I thought that there were two unfortunate goals against us to start, to be honest. I thought we had the puck a lot and you have to give Sioux Lookout a ton of credit for coming out and playing a hard game. They were in our face, forechecked and played with a lot of energy. For us, we stuck with it and I’m proud of the guys to build in the second period and get set for the third. Were we at our best? No, we probably haven’t been in this tournament, but we found a way to get it done and sometimes you have win ugly in a short-time period.”

Mustangs head coach Trevor Blevins on his team’s effort

“We stuck with it even though we weren’t running on all cylinders, so to speak. We battled through and we continue to find ways to win even if it’s not the three points we wanted. We’ve been finding ways to win close games and that’s what it’s about—it’s continuing to progress. We knew what the game meant when it comes to second place, but we’re happy to make the next round and then we’ll regroup once we know who we play.”

Calgary head coach Brad Moran on his team persevering to get the shootout win

“We knew they were a big, physical team. We just tried to play our game; we knew they were going to hit us, and we just had to respond. With the teams so close in the standings, we looked at this game like it was a ‘must win’ and we were able to do that.”

Timberwolves forward Ludovic Dufort on the getting past Winkler in a shootout

 


Centennial Cup: Day 5 recap
Monday, May 13, 2024

 Collingwood Blues 8, Collège Français de Longueuil 0

Spencer Young (Elmira, ON) led the way with a hat trick and an assist for Collingwood.
Dylan Hudon (Rockwood, ON) picked up a pair of goals and an assist.
Noah Pak (Oakville, ON) turned aside 22 saves for the shutout.

Calgary Canucks 3, Greater Sudbury Cubs 2

Ty Hipkin (High River, AB) had a goal and an assist for the Canucks.
Julien Gervais (Windsor, ON) chipped in with two assists.
Samuel Assinewai (Little Current, ON) and Nolan Newton (French River, ON) responded with goals for Sudbury in the second period.

Winkler Flyers 4, Oakville Blades 0

Malachai Klassen (Winkler, MB) turned in a 24-save performance for the shutout.
Nicolas Mckee (Treherne, MB) finished with one goal and an assist.
Connor Jensen (Spokane, WA) added a pair of assists.
Gavin McCarthy (Brockville, ON) had 25 saves for Oakville.

Next Games (Tuesday, May 14)

Sioux Lookout Bombers vs. Melfort Mustangs – 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT

Navan Grads vs. Calgary Canucks – 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT

Winkler Flyers vs. Miramichi Timberwolves – 7:30 pm. ET/4:30 p.m. PT

Quotes:

“We pride ourselves on always being offensively-minded, no matter who our opponent is. I think we’ve learned to continue at the same pace for a full 60 minutes and that’s what has made our team so successful because our game plan doesn’t change. It feels really good to be 3-0, but last year we started 3-0, had a difficult last game and it cost us in the end. We’re looking forward to our final game against Navan before looking ahead to the quarters or semifinals.”

Hudon on remaining focused despite their undefeated record

“Last year was a learning experience for everyone on the team. We had a great group and just seeing the guys put in the work, day in and day out, knowing how much of a mental and physical challenge it was, I knew what to expect. Today wasn’t our best, I think it was the worst we’ve played in quite some time, probably since the trade deadline. We weren’t too happy as a group but as we say, it wasn’t pretty, but we got it done.”

Julian Molinaro on using last year’s Centennial Cup experience to prepare for this year

“They’re a bigger body team with some veteran presence. I’m sure it will be an intense game as well, with standings and different points that have some implication in where seedings can happen in this phase of the tournament. There’s lots for us to play for, but we have to continue to grow and find our game and what makes us successful. We watched their game against Melfort, we know it will be physical. With us playing back-to-back and them having a day of rest—we’re excited to get back to the game, no time for us to sit and dwell on anything. We just have to be ready for game day.”

Flyers head coach Justin Falk on facing the Miramichi Timberwolves

Centennial Cup: Day 3 recap
Saturday, May 11, 2024

Melfort Mustangs 6, Winkler Flyers 5 (SO)           

Dalton Andrew (Brandon, MB), Connor Jensen (Spokane, WA) and Zach Nicolas (Winnipeg, MB) all registered a goal and two assists.
Chase Friedt-Mohr (Prince Albert, SK) had a goal and an assist for Melfort.
Ryan Duguay (Edmonton, AB) scored the shootout winner for the Mustangs.

Calgary Canucks 5, Collège Français de Longueuil 1

Cody Pisarczyk (Airdrie, AB) scored twice for Calgary.
Julien Gervais (Windsor, ON) and Adam Leitch (Maple Ridge, BC) tallied three assists each for the Canucks.
Thomas Bourbonnais (Longueuil, QC) scored the lone goal for Collège Français.

Oakville Blades 5, Sioux Lookout Bombers 2

Ken Belanger (Sault Ste. Marie, ON) and Maxwell Donohoe (Oakville, ON) had a goal and an assist each for Oakville.
Noah Tyrrell (Chicago, IL) had three assists for the Blades.
Owen Cotter (Welland, ON) had two assists in the Bombers’ loss.
Jack Osmond (Edmonton, AB) stopped 41 of the 46 shots he faced.

Next Games (Sunday, May 12):

Navan Grads vs. Greater Sudbury Cubs – 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT

Sioux Lookout Bombers vs. Miramichi Timberwolves – 7:30 pm. ET/4:30 p.m. PT

Quotes:

“It was a slow start for us, it wasn’t really Mustang hockey. Our coach gave us a good speech after the first period. We know how we play and we finally got around to remembering what our identity is and playing our game. We battled through adversity all year and we got the job done in the shootout. With the Saskatchewan-Manitoba rivalry, you know there’s always going to be a little more physicality than when we play other teams. That’s what the hockey is all about, I guess. It’s fun hockey and it’s nice to get the win.”

Mustang forward Clay Sleeva (Canora, SK) on battling through adversity and beating their rivals

“We’re feeling good as a team. Our first game (against Collingwood) was a tough loss, but everyone hasn’t been here before. You just use that first game to get your feet wet, learn from it and use what we learned to try and get the win today.

Pisarczyk on Calgary’s first win

“We knew it was going to be tough to get our first win, we haven’t played in about seven weeks, but it feels great to play a good game and get rewarded. I thought we had a good response today—we had kept our foot on the gas, which was our problem yesterday. We had good spurts but today we played a more consistent game.”

Donohoe (Oakville, ON) on Oakville’s first win

HOCKEY CANADA MEDIA RECAP – DAY 1 NOTES
2024 Centennial Cup – Oakville, ON., May 9-19

Winkler Flyers 4, Sioux Lookout Bombers 2

Dalton Andrew (Brandon, MB) scored all four goals in the Flyers’ win.
Trent Penner (Winkler, MB) and James Richards (Port Williams, NS) added a pair of assists each.
Jack Osmond (Edmonton, AB) made 44 saves for the Bombers.

Collingwood Blues 5, Calgary Canucks 4

Spencer Young (Elmira, ON) had a goal and three assists for the Blues.
Dylan Hudon (Rockwood, ON) chipped in with three points (1-2—3)
Julien Gervais (Windsor, ON) tallied a hat trick for the Canucks.

Melfort Mustangs 4, Miramichi Timberwolves 1

Aidyn Hutchinson (St. Albert, SK) had two goals and an assist for the Mustangs.
Logan Belton (Winnipeg, MB) and Chase Friedt-Mohr (Prince Albert, SK) registered a goal and an assist each for Melfort.
Ludovic Dufort (Laval, QC) scored the lone goal for the Timberwolves.

Next Games (Friday, May 10):

Collège Français de Longueuil vs. Navan Grads – 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT

Greater Sudbury Cubs vs. Collingwood Blues – 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT

Miramichi Timberwolves vs. Oakville Blades – 7:30 p.m. ET/4 :30 p.m. PT

Quotes:

“It felt good to score and felt good to get the win as well. My linemates (Trent Penner and Zach Nicolas) were rolling all game and we stuck to our game plan of getting pucks deep and firing shots on net. It took a bit of time for us to adjust to the Olympic size ice. A lot of us have never played on this big of an ice sheet before, but we adjusted and should be good for the next game.”

Andrew on his four-goal performance

“It’s about staying positive. You can get stressed out easily when things don’t go your way. Coaching this age group, it’s very easy for the shoulders to shrug and heads to go down, but for us it’s about doing one thing a shift that’s positive. Having good sticks and good habits and our game plan is that hopefully all of those roll together and we get a good outcome. We had to catch up a little here, but we stayed true to the game plan and got what we wanted.”

Collingwood Blues head coach Andrew Campoli (Oak Ridges, ON) on the team finding a way to win

“Technology is great because you can get a pretty clear picture of your opponent and their tendencies, but it’s tough until you see them live. You have no idea how fast teams are, how hard they are on the forecheck or how they defend and take away time and space. It was a bit of an adjustment for us. They’re a good hockey club, they work hard and have a high compete level. They took our time and space away on the big ice and it really was a game that wasn’t a 4-1 game. It could have gone either way.”

Head coach Trevor Blevins (Melfort, SK) on facing the Miramichi Timberwolves

Photo credit: OJHL Images