The Queen City Young Guns delivered an offensive masterclass in a dominant 11-5 victory over the HDC Bandits, turning the game into a shooting gallery from the opening puck drop. The Young Guns set the tone early, outshooting the Bandits 18-11 in the first period and never looked back. Ben Doran opened the scoring midway through the first period, but the Bandits' Colton Miller answered back to keep things close. The game completely unraveled for the home team in a chaotic second period where the Young Guns exploded for eight goals. Ledger Kachur and Ben Doran were virtually unstoppable, with Kachur completing a hat-trick and Doran adding two more goals including the game-winner. The Young Guns' relentless pressure saw them fire 20 shots in the middle frame alone, overwhelming the Bandits' goaltending tandem of Arabella Van Heuvel and Atlas Vdovine.
Despite the lopsided score, the Bandits showed flashes of resilience, particularly from their top line of Colton Toner, Nathan Small, and Henry Bradley. Toner scored twice and added two assists, while Small contributed a goal and two helpers of his own. Their third-period efforts produced two goals as Bradley found the net and Small capitalized on a nice passing play. However, the Bandits' discipline issues proved costly, with multiple body checking penalties to Colton Miller and a trip from Mateo Sotto giving the Young Guns additional opportunities. The penalty trouble culminated in Ledger Kachur's power play goal late in the third, his fourth of the game, putting an exclamation point on his spectacular performance.
Between the pipes, the story was one of stark contrast. Young Guns netminder Luka Sabourin earned the win with a perfect save percentage, facing 32 shots and turning them all aside in a remarkable shutout performance. For the Bandits, the goaltending duties were split with Van Heuvel facing the brunt of the Young Guns' attack early and Vdovine finishing the game. The Young Guns' offensive depth was on full display with Connor Hanska scoring twice in quick succession and Emerson Aulie adding a third-period marker. The victory showcased Queen City's balanced attack and relentless forecheck, leaving the Bandits searching for answers after surrendering double-digit goals on home ice.
