The Queen City Young Guns delivered a commanding 8-4 victory over the Calgary Crusaders in a high-scoring affair that showcased their explosive offensive depth. The home side set the tone early, with Connor Hanska (#88) opening the scoring just under eight minutes into the first period, assisted by Ledger Kachur (#62). Calgary's Sullivan Howe (#87) answered on the power play to briefly tie the game, but the Young Guns responded with two quick strikes from Kachur and Ben Doran (#7) to take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. The second period saw Queen City extend their dominance. Tucker Rudnitski (#11) scored early, and Ben Doran netted his second of the night—a power-play goal that stood as the game-winner—before Hanska added his second to build a formidable 6-1 advantage. The Crusaders showed a late spark in the period as Logan Sullivan (#22) found the net, but they faced a steep hill to climb.
The third period saw Calgary mount a spirited, penalty-fueled comeback attempt. Chase Giesbrecht (#43) and Sullivan Howe each scored to cut the deficit to 6-4, injecting some late drama into the contest. However, the Young Guns' defense and goaltending, led by the collective effort in the absence of tracked individual goalie stats, held firm under pressure. Bauer Bilinski (#96) sealed the victory with an empty-net goal in the final minute, and Ben Doran completed his hat trick with just three seconds remaining, capping off a stellar three-point night that also included an assist. The game was not without its physical edge, as a multi-player roughing incident involving Austin Lucci (#19) and London Choukalos (#47) highlighted a tense third period where the Crusaders' push was ultimately contained.
Ultimately, the story was the balanced and relentless attack of the Queen City Young Guns. Ben Doran's hat trick led the way, but contributions came from throughout the lineup, with multi-point games from Connor Hanska, Tucker Rudnitski, and Bauer Bilinski. Despite a two-goal effort from Calgary's Sullivan Howe and a late push, the Crusaders couldn't overcome the early deficit and a disciplined Young Guns power play that capitalized on its opportunities. The victory was a comprehensive team effort for Queen City, who showcased their scoring prowess from the opening faceoff to the final buzzer.
