Round-robin play wrapped up on Day 3 of the Minto Cup on Tuesday, with one team punching its ticket to the championship final and another being sent home.
In a stunner, the Victoria Shamrocks defeated the St. Catharines Athletics 14-7 to send the powerhouse Ontario champions home.
Meanwhile, it was a battle of Alberta in the late game, with the Okotoks Raiders defeating the Calgary Mountaineers 8-7 to take first place in the round robin.
The Minto Cup semifinal goes Wednesday night, with the Mountaineers taking on the Shamrocks. The winner will take on the Raiders in the best-of-three final. Regardless of what happens, the Minto Cup will go west this year.
Victoria Shamrocks 14, St. Catharines Athletics 7
Victoria kept its playoff hopes alive, while St. Catharines finished the round robin at 0-3 and did not advance to the playoffs.
Penalty troubles once again were an issue for the Athletics. They had 28 minutes in penalties to Victoria’s eight.
St. Catharines held a 3-2 lead midway through the first period, but a late run from the Shamrocks gave them a 5-4 lead.
Victoria pulled ahead in the second period, outscoring the Athletics 4-1 to take a 9-5 lead.
The Shamrocks wouldn’t relinquish that lead in the final frame, scoring five more goals to take a 14-7 win.
Ryan Lowe had a massive game for the Shamrocks, scoring five goals and three assists for eight points. Greysen Thompson added two goals and five assists, while Evan McDougall had a goal and six assists.
In net, Greyson Beggs stopped 43 of 50 shots for the win.
For St. Catharines, Arrow Booth led the way with a hat trick and two assists, while Jameson Bucktooth had two goals and two assists.
In goal, Ty Wilson stopped 38 of 52 shots in 57:51 of work. Mason Robertson was in for 2:09 and stopped the single shot he faced.
Okotoks Raiders 8, Calgary Mountaineers 7
The marquee matchup was between the Raiders and the Mountaineers. One team would finish the round robin undefeated and head to the championship final. The other would take its first loss and be relegated to the semifinal.
The Mountaineers jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first period. However, the Raiders replied with two goals of their own to tie the game.
Ryan McDonald scored with 2:12 left on the clock to give the Mountaineers a 3-2 lead at the first intermission.
The Raiders stepped up in the second period, scoring three straight goals to take a 5-3 lead.
The Mountaineers replied with a three-goal run to take the lead back at 6-5, but a two-goal run by the Raiders gave them a 7-6 lead heading into the third.
Kayden Yeaman scored for the Mountaineers 4:14 into the third period to tie the game.
Dylan Belliveau scored at 5:35, and that proved to be the game-winner as the Raiders moved on to the championship final with an 8-7 win to finish off Day 3 at the Minto Cup.
Belliveau led the Raiders in points with a goal and three assists. Luke McNamara had a hat trick for Okotoks.
Nathan Whittom got the nod in goal and stopped 27 of 34 shots for the win.
For the Mountaineers, Ryan McDonald had a hat trick and an assist, followed by Dexter Hannigan with two goals and an assist.
Final Round-Robin Standings
- Okotoks Raiders, 3-0
- Calgary Mountaineers, 2-1
- Victoria Shamrocks, 1-2
- St. Catharines Athletics, 0-3
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