The Spartan Hockey Academy and Sauce Hockey Academy delivered a fast-paced, back-and-forth battle that saw the home Spartans ultimately prevail 4-3. The first period was an offensive explosion, with four goals lighting the lamp in under seven minutes. Sauce struck first when Dawson Davison found the net, assisted by Demetri Tsoulamanis. The Spartans responded quickly, with Sawyer Tams tying the game and then setting up Mason Piteau to give Spartan a brief 2-1 lead. Tsoulamanis answered for Sauce, knotting the game at 2-2 before the period ended, capping a frantic opening frame.
The second period saw the physicality ramp up with several penalties, but also featured crucial special teams play. Hayden Piche put Spartan back in front with an even-strength goal, assisted by Drew Bateman and George Belandis. However, with just one second remaining in the period, Sauce's Dawson Davison struck again, this time on the penalty kill, to tie the game at 3-3 heading into the final intermission. His shorthanded marker was a massive momentum swing, setting the stage for a tense third period.
The final frame was a tighter-checking affair, with Spartan holding a decisive 11-5 edge in shots. The game-winner came off the stick of Colton Dobek just under seven minutes into the period, a clutch even-strength goal that would stand as the difference. The period was marred by a major penalty to Spartan's Kace Zemluk for being the third man in on a body check altercation, but the Spartan penalty kill held firm to protect their slim lead. In a game where goalie stats were not specifically tracked, the final shot totals of 24-13 in favor of Spartan told the story of their persistent offensive pressure, which finally paid off with Dobek's decisive tally to secure the hard-fought win.
