The Riggers Hockey Academy took a hard-fought 5-4 victory over the Wolverines Hockey Academy in a game that saw momentum swing wildly from start to finish. The Riggers came out firing early, capitalizing on power play opportunities to build a commanding lead. Logan Walker opened the scoring with a power play marker at 11:14 of the first period, followed quickly by Jaxen Cronkhite's even-strength goal just two minutes later. The Riggers' special teams continued to shine as Duke Scrannage added another power play goal before the period ended, giving the visitors a 3-0 advantage despite being outshot 15-6 in the opening frame.
The Wolverines mounted an impressive comeback in the second period, sparked by their own power play success. Cooper Anhorn got the home team on the board early in the period, and Tanner Hanson scored back-to-back even-strength goals to tie the game at 3-3. The Wolverines' resurgence was fueled by strong play from Abel Houle and Micah de Leon, who each picked up two assists in the period. However, the Riggers responded with Ryder Cross netting a crucial goal to regain the lead heading into the final period.
The third period saw the game's intensity reach its peak, with five penalties called as both teams battled for control. Wyatt Beacham tied the game at 4-4 just 23 seconds into the period, setting up a dramatic finish. But the Riggers' power play unit proved decisive once again, as Kash Kshyk scored the game-winning goal on the man advantage at the 15:00 mark, assisted by Ewan Wilson and Lincoln Laschowski. Despite the Wolverines outshooting the Riggers 43-24 overall, Hunter Laschowski stood tall in net for the Riggers to secure the victory, while Kallum Aromin took the loss for the Wolverines in a game where special teams made all the difference.
