The Aces Hockey Academy stormed to a decisive 6-2 victory over the Spartan Hockey Academy in a game that was as physical as it was high-scoring. The tone was set early with a flurry of penalties in the first period, but it was the Aces who capitalized on the momentum. Braxton Madu opened the scoring just 1:38 into the game, assisted by Bennett Bolding and Jude Fisher. Before the Spartans could recover, Grayden Patrie doubled the lead less than a minute later, with help from Lars Lund. Despite being outshot 12-11 in the opening frame, the Aces took a commanding 2-0 lead into the intermission, thanks in large part to the stellar goaltending of Owen Pelletier.
The second period saw the Aces extend their dominance. Theodore Wells netted what would stand as the game-winning goal, assisted by Jax Chiasson, to make it 3-0. Augustine Paziuk then added another even-strength marker to push the lead to four. The middle frame was again littered with penalties, including two to Aces' Brady Rich, but the Spartan power play could not solve Pelletier. The physical, penalty-filled contest saw tempers flare, but the Aces' defensive structure and goaltending held firm against a persistent Spartan attack that managed 11 shots in the period.
The Spartans finally broke through in the third period as Stavros Warriner scored to make it 4-1. However, any hope of a comeback was quickly extinguished when Augustine Paziuk netted his second of the game, with assists from Jude Fisher and Braxton Madu. Sawyer Grierson added a late goal for the Spartans, but it was too little, too late. Jude Fisher sealed the 6-2 victory with an empty-net goal in the final minutes. While the Spartans fired 17 shots in a desperate third period, Owen Pelletier was a wall, turning aside 40 of 42 shots total to backstop the Aces to a convincing win in a game defined by its physical play and clinical finishing.
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