The Rebels Hockey Academy started strong on home ice, but the visiting Gorillas Hockey Academy ORANGE unleashed a relentless offensive attack to secure a decisive 7-3 win. The game's opening frame was a special teams battle. The Rebels struck first on a shorthanded effort, as Brody Ferguson converted a setup from Bohen Anderson and Shay Morgan to give the home side an early lead. The Gorillas responded quickly, with Jase Ristola knotting the score at 1-1 just over a minute later. With time winding down in the period, Avery Saper capitalized on the power play, assisted by Caleb Smith and Ristola, to give the Gorillas a lead they would never relinquish.
The second period saw the game slip away from the Rebels in a stunning 8-second span. Jase Ristola netted his second of the night, the eventual game-winner, with helpers from Jett Ranslam and Avery Saper. Immediately off the ensuing faceoff, Harvey MacIntyre scored twice in rapid succession, a bizarre but decisive double that pushed the Gorillas' lead to 5-1. The Rebels' penalty trouble continued to mount, hampering any chance of a comeback as the Gorillas controlled the shot clock and the tempo.
The Rebels showed some fight in the third, with Declan Salmon and William Rhodes finding the net to cut into the deficit. However, the Gorillas' offense was simply too much. Torin Hewson added a power-play marker and Jase Ristola completed his hat trick, with Avery Saper picking up his third assist of the night, to seal the commanding victory. While the goalie stats were not officially tracked, the shot totals tell the story of Gorillas' pressure, outshooting the Rebels 34 to 32. The disciplined, high-powered attack from the visitors, led by Ristola and Saper, proved overwhelming in a game that turned on a chaotic and decisive moment in the second period.
