The North Stars Academy Wild rode a potent power play and a relentless offensive attack to a 5-3 victory over the Riggers Hockey Academy in a game defined by special teams and third-period fireworks. The Wild set the tone early, dominating the first period with a 15-8 shot advantage. They capitalized quickly after an early Riggers penalty, as Gage Stephanson opened the scoring at even strength, assisted by Ayden Ouellette. Just 26 seconds later, with the man advantage still active, Grady Schwab buried a power-play marker, with assists from Temple Dudman and Stephanson, to give the visitors a commanding 2-0 lead before the game was eight minutes old.
The Riggers showed resilience in the second period, clawing their way back into the contest. Duke Scrannage got the home side on the board with an even-strength goal, and later on the power play, Logan Walker converted a setup from Rory Klaassen and Matteo Biagi to tie the game at 2-2 heading into the final frame. However, discipline became a critical issue for the Riggers, as they took four third-period penalties. The Wild’s power play, which had already struck once, proved decisive. Ayden Ouellette restored the North Stars lead with a man-advantage goal midway through the period. Although Alexander Friesen answered for the Riggers just under two minutes later, assisted by Jack Colban and Kaelin Miller, the parade to the penalty box continued. With just over three minutes to play, Gage Stephanson netted his second of the night—the game-winning goal—on yet another power play. The Riggers, pressing for another equalizer, were finally undone when Ouellette sealed the win with an empty-netter in the final seconds, assisted by Barrett Berard.
The story of the game was written on the shot clock and the penalty sheet. The Wild fired a staggering 39 shots on net, testing Riggers goalie Hunter Laschowski throughout, while the Riggers managed 27 shots. North Stars penalty trouble was frequent, with Kaelum Glasier taking three minors himself, but the Riggers' inability to stay out of the box in the crucial third period was their ultimate undoing. Gage Stephanson and Ayden Ouellette were the offensive heroes for the Wild, each finishing with a goal and two points, while Stephanson’s late power-play tally stood as the winner. For the Riggers, the comeback effort fell short despite multi-point nights from key contributors like Logan Walker and the playmaking of Rory Klaassen.
