Road to Nationals: Western Canada Playoff Roundup 2026
Updated Monday, April 6 at 10:15 p.m. EDT
As March Madness and the college basketball postseason captured the attention of most sports fans in the United States, hockey playoff fever spread across Canada.
Postseason play north of the border began for some Canadian minor hockey leagues as early as mid-February, with U18 teams for both genders embarking on what they hoped would be a long journey down the Road to the Telus or Esso Cup. Meanwhile, teams in younger age groups participated in local playdowns and playoffs, hoping to advance to championship weekend for their leagues with the goal of competing for a provincial championship.
With the arrival of April, many champions have been crowned at the league and provincial levels while surviving U18 teams compete in or looking ahead to regional tournaments in hopes of advancing to compete for a club national championship.
As the end of the Road to Nationals nears, regional U18 Girls champions (West, Quebec, Ontario, Pacific, Atlantic) will be crowned and advance compete in New Brunswick along with the host Moncton Rockets at the 2026 Esso Cup April 15-19. Likewise, five regional Boys champions (West, Pacific, Central, Atlantic, Quebec) will compete in Ontario with the host Peterborough Petes at the 2026 Telus Cup April 20-26.
While the Road to Nationals progresses at the 18U level, minor hockey teams in most other age groups around Canada have completed postseason play.
Below is a summary of some of the more noteworthy postseason happenings from postseason play in Western Canada. There will be a separate page to cover postseason play in Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic Region.
CLICK HERE for the Boys U18 AAA Western Regional Championship results
Congratulations to the Regina Pat Canadians, West Region Boys U18 champions!
CLICK HERE for the Girls U18 Tier 1 Western Regional Championship results
Congratulations to Winnipeg Ice, West Region Girls U18 champions!
CLICK HERE for Boys U18 AAA Pacific Regional Championship results
Congratulations to the Okanagan Rockets, Pacific Region Boys U18 champions!
CLICK HERE for the Girls U18 Tier 1 Pacific Regional Championship results
Congratulations to the Red Deer Chiefs, Pacific Region Girls U18 champions!
Postseason play in the Canadian Sports School Hockey league began March 7 and ran through March 22 at the U18 Prep, U17, U15 Prep, Girls U18 Prep, U15 and U17 Prep levels. More than 100 teams competed in nearly 200 games to decide the CSSHL West champions.
Founded in 2009 by five like-minded Hockey Canada Sport Schools, the mission for the CSSHL always has been to establish a league designed specifically for elite level student-athletes, providing them with an opportunity to increase their skills on and off the ice, a high level of competition and exposure.
The inaugural 2009-10 season featured five sport schools and eight total teams competing in two divisions. Since then, the CSSHL has grown to include Eastern and Western divisions, with 38 sport schools and 129 teams competing in eight different categories.
CLICK HERE for the CSSHL Western Championship program
CSSHL West Championship Roundup
U18 Boys Prep - March 7-12
The CSSHL Western Boys U18 Prep Division featured many of Canada’s and Western Canada’s top-ranked teams, according to the MHR Week 28 Rankings. The league’s top 16 teams competed in the Championship Division, with the bottom four comprising Division II.
Play in the top division included five of Western Canada’s top 10 teams and half of the top 22.
CSSHL U18 Boys Prep Semifinals March 11
#3 Northern Alberta Xtreme 5, #16 Burnaby Winter Club Academy 3
#4 Rink Hockey Academy Kelowna 5, #30 St. George’s School 0
CSSHL U18 Boys Prep Championship Game March 12
#4 Rink Hockey Academy Kelowna 6, #3 Northern Alberta Xtreme 3
Rink scored three times in the opening period, with Ayden Saran’s goal with one second on the clock and Rhett Tubello’s tally just 1:12 into the middle frame sapping the life out of NAX, which faced a seemingly insurmountable four-goal deficit against a powerful team. But Teagen Bouchard scored to give NAX hope about five minutes later, and after Kalen Miles and Thayne Wasyluk tallied for the Xtreme in the first 11:51 of the third period, just like that the margin was down to 1. Undaunted, RHA got a goal from Max Reed with 4:40 left, and Tubello’s second of the game into an empty net with 2:03 sealed the championship for Rink. Nate McPhee dished out a pair of assists for the champs, while winning goalie Asher Netherton made 32 saves.
The U18 Prep Championship was divided into four pools of four teams each, with #4 RHA Kelowna (5-0-0), #65 USA Coeur d’Alene Hockey Academy (2-2-0), #3 NAX (4-2-0) and Delta Hockey Academy (3-1-0) winning their respective pools.
CLICK HERE for the U18 Prep Championship standings
CLICK HERE for U18 Prep Championship skater stats
CLICK HERE for U18 Prep Championship goalie stats
U15 Boys Prep - March 10-14
The CSSHL Western Boys U15 Prep Division included 10 of Western Canada’s top 11 U15 Boys teams, according to the MHR Week 28 rankings competing in the Championship Division, with eight more teams competing in Division II.
The Championship Division was divided into a pair of five-team pools, with No. 5 Calgary International Hockey Academy going 4-1-0 and finishing atop Pool A while the top-ranked Northern Alberta Xtreme (3-1-0) placed first in Pool B but fell short thanks to a 4-3 loss to No. 6 Edge School of Calgary (2-3-0) in the semifinals. Edge fell to CIHA, 4-2, in the championship game.
CSSHL U15 Boys Prep Semifinals March 13
#5 Calgary International Hockey Academy 3, #8 Burnaby Winter Club Academy 1
#8 Edge School 4, #1 Northern Alberta Xtreme 3
CSSHL U15 Boys Prep Championship Game March 14
#5 Calgary International Hockey Academy 4, #8 Edge School 2
Trailing, 2-1, entering the final 20 minutes, CIHA scored three times in a span of 16:01 of the third period to steal the CSSHL U15 Prep title from upset-minded Edge School. Ryder Lefaivre, Jase Morey and Loic Label scored during that decisive run, with Bennette Pattison also tallying in the second period for the champs. Lachlan Kisio and Brody Antignani scored for Edge, which only could beat winning netminder Alexandre Montembeault twice on 36 shots.
CLICK HERE for the U15 Prep Championship standings
CLICK HERE for U15 Prep Championship skater stats
CLICK HERE for U15 Prep Championship goalie stats
U17 Boys Prep - March 18-22
The CSSHL Western Boys U17 Prep Division featured seven of MHR’s Week 28 Western Canada Boys top 10 teams and 11 of the top 17. Championship Division Play featured a total of 12 teams divided into three pools, with Pool A and Pool C each having three top 10 clubs. The league’s top 12 teams competed in the Championship Division, with 10 more placed in Division II.
With such a high-level and evenly divided field, it’s no surprise that no team completed the tournament unscathed. No. 10 Rink Hockey Academy Winnipeg (2-2-0) finished first in Pool A, with No. 4 Okanagan Hockey Academy (3-1-0) winning Pool B and Nos. 3 RHA Kelowna (4-1-0) and 5 Calgary International Hockey Academy (4-1-0) both advancing to the semifinals out of Pool C.
CSSHL U17 Boys Prep Semifinals March 21
#3 Rink Hockey Academy Kelowna 6, #4 Okanagan Hockey Academy 2
#5 Calgary International Hockey Academy 4, Rink Hockey Academy Winnipeg 3
CSSHL U17 Boys Prep Championship Game March 22
#3 Rink Hockey Academy Kelowna 4, #5 Calgary International Hockey Academy 2
CIHA scored early and late to capture the CSSHL U17 Boys Prep title. Sutton Hodgetts opened the scoring at 9:07 of the first period but RHA Kelowna responded with tallies of its own, taking a 3-1 lead with 17:15 left in the final frame before CIHA rallied for three goals in a span of 8:12 to snatch away the championship. Tomas Figura, Keegan Brown and Rylan Wood did the third-period damage for CIHA, with Figura also picking up an assist on Wood’s marker. Wood also assisted on the team’s first goal, while Colton Lutz stopped 33 shots to earn the win in goal. Cole Ewanchuk and Atley Feniuk scored for RHA.
CLICK HERE for the U17 Prep Championship standings
CLICK HERE for U17 Prep Championship skater stats
CLICK HERE for U17 Prep Championship goalie stats
CSSHL Girls U18 Prep - March 13-17
All eight teams in the top division of the CSSHL Girls U18 Prep Championship were among Canada’s top 27 teams in the MHR Week 28 Canada U22 Rankings. Three of those teams were in the top 11 and four were among the top 20. Division II consisted of six more teams.
The Championship group was divided into a pair of four-team pools. Two teams came out of Pool B to advance to the championship game, with No. 7 Rink Hockey Academy Kelowna going 5-0-0 and defeating No. 11 OHA Edmonton (3-2-0) for the championship. No. 12 Delta Hockey Academy Green (3-1-0) and 31st-ranked RHA Winnipeg (2-2-0) advanced from Pool A.
CSSHL U18 Girls Prep Semifinals March 16
#11 OHA Edmonton 4, #12 Delta Hockey Academy Green 2
#7 Rink Hockey Academy Kelowna 11, Rink Hockey Academy Winnipeg 0
CSSHL U18 Girls Prep Championship Game March 17
#7 Rink Hockey Academy Kelowna 2, OHA Edmonton 1
Hayley McDonald scored in the second period and Sydney McIntosh tallied in the third as RHA Kelowna took a 2-0 lead in the championship game before holding on to capture the title, 2-1. Izzy Gollop made things interesting by scoring for OHA with 1:03 left, but winning netminder Jaya Schippel and the Rink defense held off their foes the rest of the way to secure the victory. Schippel finished with 21 saves, while Kennedy Sisson assisted on both RHA goals.
CLICK HERE for the U18 Prep Girls Championship standings
CLICK HERE for U18 Prep Girls Championship skater stats
CLICK HERE for U18 Prep Girls Championship goalie stats
Manitoba Female Hockey League Playoffs
On the night of Tuesday, Feb. 24, the first round of the Manitoba Female Hockey League Playoffs wrapped up, with the Winnipeg Ice, Eastman Selects and Westman Wildcats all closing out their opening-round, best-of-five series victories. The top-seeded Ice, second-seeded Selects and third-seeded Wildcats swept their series, while the fourth-seeded Winnipeg Avros also closed out their sweep of the fifth-seeded Yellowhead Chiefs with a 4-0 victory Feb. 22.
Those four teams advanced to the MFHL semifinals, which got underway March 4.
Eastman was ranked seventh in the Week 28 MHR Canada Girls U18 Tier 1 rankings, while the Ice were No. 8, the Avros were No. 28 and the Wildcats were No. 38.
The Ice went on to oust the Avros, three games to one, while the Selects disposed of the Wildcats in similar fashion to set up a best-of-five championship series showdown between Canada’s seventh- and eighth-ranked Girls U18 teams.
Eastman rolled to victory in Game 1 of the league and provincial finals, 5-0, March 16, with five different players scoring and Addison Tomes recording an 18-save shutout. But the Ice rallied from that one-sided opener in which thy were outshot, 40-18, to capture the next three contests as well as the league and provincial championships.
Two of those three victories required overtime as the Ice held Eastman to three total goals, with goalie Isla Matthews making 82 combined saves. Chloe Nicolas ended Game 3 with her overtime tally, and Gabby Robbins was the Game 4 hero, sending Winnipeg to the Western Regional Championship against the top-ranked Battlefords Sharks.
MFHL Playoffs Round 1 (best of five):
#1 Winnipeg Ice def #8 Interlake Lightning, 3-0
#2 Eastman Selects def #7 Central Plains Capitals, 3-0
#3 Westman Wildcats def #6 Pembina Valley Hawks, 3-0
#4 Winnipeg Avros def #5 Yellowhead Chiefs, 3-0
MFHL Playoffs Semifinals (best of five):
#1 Winnipeg Ice def #4 Winnipeg Avros, 3-1
#2 Eastman Selects dev #3 Westman Wildcats, 3-1
MFHL Playoffs Championship Series (best of five):
#1 Winnipeg Ice def #2 Eastman Selects, 3-1
CLICK HERE for MFHL Playoff results
CLICK HERE for MFHL regular-season standings
Manitoba U18 Boys AAA Hockey League Playoffs
The MBU18 AAA Playoffs (boys) began Friday, Feb. 27, and concluded March 35 when the Winnipeg Bruins closed out their three-game championship-series sweep of the Brandon Wheat Kings with a 4-1 victory at Southdale Community Centre.
Winnipeg swept through three rounds of the league playoffs to earn the league and provincial championship by outscoring its opponents, 53-13. The Bruins were the regular-season champs, posting a 42-6-0 record to finish with 87 points, six ahead of the Winnipeg Wild. Brandon was third with 79 points, followed by the Winnipeg Thrashers with 69. The Bruins were ranked 24th in the Week 28 MHR Western Canada Boys U18 AAA Rankings, while the Wild were 40th and Brandon was No. 45.
MBU18 AAA is a 13-team league operating in Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. Each rural minor hockey region in Manitoba operates one U18 AAA team, Hockey Winnipeg operates three teams and Kenora operates one.
The top eight regular-season teams advanced to the playoffs and competed in best-of-five opening-round series.
MBU18 AAA First Round
#1 Winnipeg Bruins def #8 Parkland Rangers, 3-0
#2 Winnipeg Wild def #7 Pembina Valley Hawks, 3-0
#3 Brandon Wheat Kings der #6 Southwest Cougars, 3-1
#4 Winnipeg Thrashers def #5 Eastman Selects, 3-1
MBU18 AAA Semifinals
#1 Winnipeg Bruins def #4 Winnipeg Thrashers, 3-0
#3 Brandon Wheat Kings def #2 Winnipeg Wild, 3-1
MBU18 AAA Championship Series
#1 Winnipeg Bruins def #3 Brandon Wheat Kings, 3-0
CLICK HERE for the MBU18 AAA playoff bracket and results
CLICK HERE for the MBU18 AAA regular-season standings
British Columbia Elite Hockey League Playoffs
Playoffs for some age groups of the British Columbia Elite Hockey League, which includes Boys U15, U17 and U18 AAA and Girls U18 AAA play, began Thursday, Feb. 27, at Twin Rinks in Langley, B.C., as 15U AAA pool play got underway.
The league’s U17AAA Boys, U18 AAA Boys and U18 AAA Girls playoffs all got underway in the weeks after the puck dropped on the U15 Boys AAA tourney.
BCEHL U15 AAA
All eight teams in the U15 AAA Boys league were at Canlan Sports Twin Rinks in Langley, B.C., the weekend of Feb. 27-March 1 to take part in the U15 BCEHL Championship.
Teams were divided into two pools of four for round-robin play. Following the completion of pool play, the teams were re-seeded for the quarterfinals, with quarterfinals and semifinals played Feb. 28 and the championship game set for March 1.
The Okanagan Rockets were the top regular-season team, posting a 27-3-0-0 league record to earn the No. 1 seed. Fraser Valley was the second seed after the Thunderbirds posted a 25-3-1-1 league mark.
According to the MHR Week 28 Western Canada U15 AAA Rankings, Okanagan was No. 28 while Fraser Valley checked in at No. 38. The Vancouver North East Chiefs were ranked 56th, while the Thompson Blazers were No. 46.
BCEHL U15 AAA Pool A
Okanagan Rockets (6-0-0, 12 pts)
Cariboo Cougars (3-2-0), 7 pts)
Vancouver North East Chiefs (2-3-0, 4 pts)
Greater Vancouver Canadians (0-4-0,0 pts)
BCEHL U15 AAA Pool B
Fraser Valley Thunderbirds (5-1-0, 10 pts)
Thompson Blazers (2-2-0, 5 pts)
Valley West Giants (1-3-0, 2 pts)
Vancouver North West Hawks (0-4-0, 0 pts)
BCEHL U15 AAA Championship Game March 2
The Rockets and Thunderbirds were league’s top two teams all season, and both went through the preliminary round undefeated to set up a winner-take-all championship game March 2. They had met five times during the regular season, with each team earning a pair of regulation wins.
Okanagan jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead in the title clash, scored the game’s first three goals and never looked back. Nathan Steele recorded a hat trick as the Rockets cruised to the title with a 7-3 victory. It was Okanagan’s second straight BCEHL U15 championship.
CLICK HERE for the complete BCEHL U15 Boys AAA Playoff standings
CLICK HERE for all BCEHL U15 Boys AAA Playoff results
BCEHL U17 AAA
The BCEHL U17 AAA playoffs began Friday, Feb. 27, with four quarterfinal matchups. Teams played in a best-of-three series, with the first two games taking place on Friday and Saturday. If necessary, a third and deciding game was played March 1.
Of the participating teams, the Vancouver North West Hawks were ranked 33rd in the MHR Western Canada U17 Boys AAA Week 28 Rankings, the Vancouver North East Chiefs were 29th, the Okanagan Rockets were 34th, the Cariboo Cougars were 38th and the Thompson Blazers were 40th.
Boys U17 AAA Playoff Format
Quarterfinals – Feb. 27-March 1 (best of three)
#1 Vancouver NW Hawks def #8 Greater Vancouver Canadiens, 2-0
#2 Vancouver NE Chiefs def #7 Fraser Valley Thunderbirds, 2-1
#5 Thompson Blazers def #4 Okanagan Rockets, 2-0
#6 Valley West Giants def #3 Cariboo Cougars, 2-1
Semifinals – March 6-8 (best of three)
#1 Vancouver NW Hawks def #6 Valley West Giants, 2-0
#2 Vancouver NE Chiefs def.#5 Thompson Blazers, 2-0
Championship Series – March 13-15 (best of three)
#2 Vancouver NE Chiefs def #1 Vancouver NW Hawks, 2-0
Just two points separated these the two U17 finalists during the regular season, but the Chiefs jumped out to early leads in both games and swept the best-of-three series to capture their first BCEHL title. They led, 4-1, in Game 1 but had to rally for a 6-5 win on Phillip Beedle’s overtime goal after Nolan Perry had tied it in the final minute. They rolled to a 4-0 lead in Game 2 and never relinquished control on the way to a 6-4 victory.
CLICK HERE for all BCEHL U17 Boys AAA Playoff results
BCEHL U18 AAA Playoffs
Play got underway in the BCEHL Boys U18 AAA playoffs March 6 as three best-of-three quarterfinals began at the home rinks of the higher seeds. The top-seeded Vancouver North East Chiefs received a bye into the semifinals, which began March 13.
Three of the participating teams were ranked among MHR’s Western Canada Week 28 U18 Boys AAA top 30. The Okanagan Rockets led the way at No. 14, followed by the Chiefs at No. 23 and the Cariboo Cougars at 27.
Boys U18 AAA Playoff Format
Quarterfinals – March 6-8 (best of three)
#1 Vancouver NE Chiefs – Bye
#2 Okanagan Rockets def #7 Fraser Valley Thunderbirds, 2-0
#3 Cariboo Cougars def #6 Valley West Giants, 2-0
#4 Thompson Blazers def #5 Vancouver NW Hawks, 2-1
Semifinals – March 13-15 (best of three)
#4 Thompson Blazers def #1 Vancouver NE Chiefs, 2-0
#2 Okanagan Rockets def #3 Cariboo Cougars, 2-0
Championship Series March 20-22 (best of three)
#1 Okanagan Rockets def #3 Thompson Blazers, 2-0
The host Rockets came into the best-of-three BCEHL U18 AAA championship series as strong favorites in Kelowna after finishing a point out of first place and 18 points in front of the Blazers. Thompson had momentum on its side, however, after sweeping the top seeds in the semifinals on the road.
Okanagan came out swinging, though, scoring just 41 seconds into Game 1, and that was just the beginning. Nine goals later it was a 10-3 final in favor of the hosts. Von Lakovic and Brayden Jugnauth led the onslaught with two goals and two assists each. Those two picked right up where they left off March 21 in Game 2, with Lakovic tallying four times and Jugnauth contributing five points as Okanagan won, 7-0, to earn the sweep and a trip to the Pacific Regional Championship. It was their second straight title and fifth championship overall.
CLICK HERE for all BCEHL U18 Boys AAA Playoff results
BCEHL Girls U18 AAA Playoffs
The BCEHL Girls U18 AAA Playoffs began March 6 with a best-of-three play-in series between the fourth-seeded Northern Capitals and fifth-seeded Vancouver Island Seals. Vancouver recorded a surprising 5-4 overtime win in Game 1, but the Capitals bounced back the next day to tie the series with a 5-1 victory. After a scoreless first two periods in Game 3, Paxton Fraser buried a pair of goals in the final frame to lift Northern to a 2-1 game and series victory. The series win set up a semifinal matchup for the Caps vs. the top-seeded Greater Vancouver Comets.
Greater Vancouver was ranked 16th in Western Canada and 33rd in the nation overall, according to the MHR Week 28 U18 Girls Tier 1 Rankings. The two teams in the other semifinal, the third-seeded Thompson-Okanagan Lakers and No. 2-seed Fraser Valley Rush, were ranked 19th and 21st, respectively, in Western Canada. The Lakers were No. 45 overall in Canada, while the Rush were 53rd.
Girls U18 AAA Playoff Format
Play-in Series – March 6-8 (best of three)
#4 Northern Capitals def #5 Vancouver Island Seals, 2-1
Semifinals – March 13-14 (best of three)
#1 Greater Vancouver Comets def #4 Northern Capitals, 2-0
No 3 Thompson-Okanagan Lakers def #2 Fraser Valley Rush, 2-0
Championship Series – March 20-22 (best of three)
#1 Greater Vancouver Comets def #3 Thompson-Okanagan Lakers, 2-1
The two teams met in Coquitlam for the BCEHL title and a spot in the Pacific Region Championship. Greater Vancouver finished 12 points in front of the Lakers in the regular-season standings, but the two teams split their eight meetings.
Thompson-Okangan got the early edge, skating to a 2-0 lead through two periods of Game 1 on goals by Jesse Umeris and Madison Millership and eventually earning a 3-1 victory. Courtnay Cooke stopped 31 to earn the win in goal, but the Comets rebounded to win the final two games and capture the championship.
Greater Vancouver saw their 1-0 lead after two periods turn into a 3-2 deficit in the final frame of Game 2, but Samantha Woo and Hana Nishi scored to force a deciding Game 3. Nishi’s game-winning goal came with 2:33 left in the third period. The Comets earned their second straight BCEHL title and fifth overall championship – as well as a trip to Pacific Regionals in Red Deer, Alberta – by squeaking out a 2-1 victory in Game 3. Madison Kong backstopped the victory with 38 saves, while Carolyn Koo and Lucy Peloso each scoring once.
CLICK HERE for all BCEHL U18 Girls AAA Playoff results
Alberta Elite Hockey League Playoffs
The 12-team Alberta Elite Hockey League U18 AAA Boys Playoffs began Wednesday, Feb. 26, with the opening games of two division quarterfinal series, while the puck dropped on the remaining two series Feb. 27.
Four teams earned first-round byes and automatically advanced to their respective division semifinals after finishing among the top two regular-season teams in their division.
League-leading Edmonton Jr. Oilers Blue went 29-8-1 in league play to pace the North Division with 61 points, nine better than the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers. Edmonton spent all season ranked among the top 10 in the MHR Western Canada Boys U18 AAA rankings, while Fort Saskatchewan only recently fell from that group. Jr. Oilers Blue are No. 5 in the Week 28 Rankings, while the Rangers are 12th. The St. Albert Raiders finished third in the North Division and were ranked 18th for Week 28.
The Calgary NWCAA Flames, Calgary Northstars and Calgary Buffaloes ended the AEHL regular season as the top three South Division teams, with the Flames posting a 27-8-2 record for 59 points, six better than the Northstars and 11 in front of the Buffaloes. Those three teams also spent time ranked among Western Canada’s top 10, but for Week 28 the Flames checked in at No. 7 while the North Stars were 11th and the Buffaloes were 17th.
CLICK HERE for the final AEHL U18 AAA standings
All first-round division quarterfinal series were best-of-three, with the top two seeds from each division receiving byes into the division semifinals.
North Division AEHL U18 AAA Quarterfinals (best of three)
#3 St. Albert Raiders def #6 Lloydminster Lancers, 2-0
#4 Sherwood Park Kings def Edmonton Jr. Oilers Orange, 2-0
South Division AEHL U18 AAA Quarterfinals (best of three)
#3 Calgary Buffaloes def #6 Red Deer Chiefs, 2-0
#5 Calgary Royals def #4 Okotoks Oilers, 2-1
North Division AEHL U18 AAA Semifinals (best of three)
#1 Edmonton Oilers Blue def #4 Sherwood Park Kings, 2-0
#2 Fort Saskatchewan Rangers def St. Albert Raiders, 2-1
South Division AEHL U18 AAA Semifinals (best of three)
#1 Calgary Flames def #5 Calgary Royals, 2-0
#2 Calgary Northstars def #3 Calgary Buffaloes, 2-0
North Division AEHL U18 AAA Finals (best of five)
#1 Edmonton Oilers Blue def Fort Saskatchewan Rangers, 3-2
South Division AEHL U18 AAA Finals (best of five)
#2 Calgary Northstars def #1 Calgary Flames, 3-2
Both AEHL U18 AAA division finals went the distance, with one top seed advancing (Jr. Oilers Blue) while the Northstars pulled off the minor upset against the Flames. The Flames won the first two games of the series and were on the verge of a sweep before the Northstars won in overtime, 5-4, in Game 3. The Northstars needed a third-period goal from Ben Oliverio to force the extra period, and Nicholas Binner delivered the game-winner.
Game 4 saw the Northstars take a 2-0 lead into the third period, and they held on for the 2-1 victory to even the series. They scored three times in the second period and twice in the final frame of the finale, with Brody Guiltner’s two empty-net goals capping the effort and sending them to the AEHL finals.
AEHL U18 AAA Championship Series (best of five)
#1 Edmonton Jr. Oilers Blue def Calgary Northstars, 3-2
The two AEHL finalists traded victories through the first four contests before Jr. Oilers Blue skated to a 2-1 victory in Game 5. After a scoreless opening frame, Jake MacDonald scored in the middle period for Edmonton and Carter Muench tallied in the third for a 2-0 lead with 2:57 remaining. Brook Haile scored for Calgary to make it interesting, but winning netminder Ethan Berard and the Jr. Oilers defense held off the Northstars to secure the AEHL championship. Berard was outstanding, making 34 saves while his counterpart Holden Murphy stopped 33 of the 35 shots he faced.
CLICK HERE for all AEHL U18 AAA Playoff results
Alberta Female U18 AAA Hockey League Playoffs
All eight league teams qualified for the AFHL U18 AAA Playoffs, with quarterfinal best-of-three series beginning on March 4 and 5.
Edmonton Jr. Oilers White nipped the St. Albert Slash by two standings points, 67-65, after posting a 23-5-0 regular-season league record to finish first and earn the top postseason seed. Calgary Fire Red finished third with 57 points, three better than the Red Deer Chiefs.
All four of those teams spent time ranked among the MHR U18 Girls Canada Tier 1 top 10 during the season. For Week 28, they ranked second, third, fourth and fifth, respectively,
The AFHL is made up of eight teams: the Lloydminster Steelers, Red Deer Chiefs, Rocky Mountain Raiders, St. Alber Raiders, Edmonton Jr. Oilers, Calgary Fire Red, Calgary Fire Black and Sherwood Park Reign. It is one of Canda’s top U18 Girls leagues.
CLICK HERE for the final AFHL U18 AAA standings
AFHL U18 AAA Quarterfinals (best of three)
#1 Edmonton Jr. Oilers White def #8 Rocky Mountain Raiders, 2-0
#2 St. Albert Slash def #7 Lloydminster Steelers, 2-0
#3 Calgary Fire Red def #6 Sherwood Park Reign, 2-0
#4 Red Deer Chiefs def #5 Calgary Fire Black, 2-0
AFHL U18 AAA Semifinals (best of three)
#4 Red Deer Chiefs def #1 Edmonton Jr. Oilers White, 2-1
#2 St. Albert Slash def #3 Calgary Fire Red, 2-1
AFHL U18 AAA Championship Series (best of three)
#4 Red Deer Chiefs def #2 St. Albert Slash, 2-1
It’s hard to call a team that is ranked fifth in the nation Cinderella, but the Red Deer Chiefs ran the gauntlet, knocking off Canada’s 30th-, second- and top-ranked teams to capture the AFHL U18 AAA championship. In the semifinals they beat top-ranked Edmonton Jr. Oilers Blue, 4-2, in a decisive Game 3 by scoring four straight times in the third period after Edmonton took a 1-0 lead midway through the game. Four different Red Deer players scored during that spree, and goalie Brylee Hull was spectacular, making 36 saves.
The championship-series victory against the second-ranked St. Albert Slash also required three games, with the Chiefs skating to a 3-1 victory in the finale. This time with the score tied at 1, Olivia Stewart and Addison Shaw scored unanswered goals to lead Red Deer to the title. Bria Hull and Shaw each contributed a goal and an assist, and Brylee Hull came up big again with 29 saves.
CLICK HERE for all AFHL U18 AAA Playoff results
Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League Playoffs
SMU18AAAHL Playoffs got underway Feb. 28 and March 1 as the puck dropped on four best-of-five quarterfinals.
The SMAAAHL has 12 teams from 10 communities across Saskatchewan. Each team is a member of its local hockey association, which serves as the governing body for Midget AAA teams in that community. Eight of the 12 teams advance to the league’s quarterfinals, with seedings based on the final regular-season standings.
The top-seeded Regina Pat Canadians concluded the regular season with a 38-6-0 record to finish three points better than the Moose Jaw Warriors, who posted 76 points after going 37-7-0. The Saskatoon Blazers finished a distant third with 62 points. Regina was ranked first in the MHR Week 28 Western Canada U18 AAA Rankings. Moose Jaw was second, while the Blazers checked in at No. 6. The fourth-place Swift Current Legionnaires were ranked 28th.
CLICK HERE for the final SMU18AAAHL standings
SMU18AAAHL Quarterfinals (best of five)
#1 Regina Pat Canadians def #8 Saskatoon Contacts, 3-0
#2 Moose Jaw Warriors def #7 Battlefords Stars, 3-0
#5 Estevan Bears def #4 Swift Current Legionnaires, 3-2
#3 Saskatoon Blazers def #6 Warman Wildcats, 3-0
SMU18AAAHL Semifinals (best of five)
#1 Regina Pat Canadians def #5 Estevan Bears, 3-0
#2 Moose Jaw Warriors def #3 Saskatoon Blazers, 3-2
SMU18AAAHL Championship Series (best of five)
#1 Regina Pat Canadians def #2 Moose Jaw Warriors, 3-2
The defending national champs looked like they would roll to yet another series sweep after a pair of overtime victories in the first two games, and they even scored first in Game 3 before Moose Jaw rallied for a 3-2 OT win of their own to stay alive.
The Warriors used that momentum to their advantage, handing Regina a 5-1 Game 4 setback at home to force a deciding Game 5 on enemy ice. The talented and experienced Pat Canadians were up to the task in the decisive game, however, as superstar forward Maddox Schultz set the tone by scoring just 26 seconds into the contest. Regina went on to score five of the game’s first six goals before surrendering a meaningless tally in the final 30 seconds of a 5-2 title-clinching victory.
CLICK HERE for all SMU18AAAHL playoff results
Saskatchewan Female U18 AAA Hockey League Playoffs
SFU18AAAHL Playoffs began Friday, March 6, with all seven teams participating in postseason play. Six teams competed in the best-of-three quarterfinals, with the first-place finisher earning a bye into the semifinals.
The Battlefords Sharks, No. 1 in our Week 28 Canada Girls U18 Tier 1 Rankings, earned the top seed by going 28-2-0 in during the regular season. Their 82 points were 26 better than the second-place Swift Current Wildcats, who went 18-12-0. Swift Current was ranked sixth for Week 28. The third-place Regina Rebels were ranked 11th, the fourth-place Saskatoon Stars were ranked 20th and the fifth-place Prince Albert Bears were ranked 18th.
CLICK HERE for the SFU18AAAHL regular-season standings
SFU18AAAHL Quarterfinals (best of three)
#1 Battlefords Sharks - BYE
#2 Swift Current Wildcats def Notre Dame Hounds, 2-0
#3 Regina Rebels def #6 Weyburn Gold Wings, 2-1
#4 Saskatoon Stars def #5 Prince Albert Bears, 2-1
SFU18AAAHL Semifinals (best of three)
#1 Battlefords Sharks def #4 Saskatoon Stars, 2-0
#2 Swift Current Wildcats def #3 Regina Rebels, 2-0
SFU18AAAHL Championship Series (best of three)
#1 Battlefords Sharks def Saskatoon Stars, 2-0
Battlefords steamrolled to the league championship without losing a game, beating its two opponents by a combined score of 20-6 in four games. The Sharks swept the No. 6 Swift Current Wildcats in the finals by scores of 6-1 and 3-0. Danika Dureau and Brooke Weber each totaled three goals and two assists in the two postseason series, with Julia Poole, Anneka Aspaas and Sara McNabb contributing four points apiece. Goalie Aura Sembalerus went 4-0, posting a 1.50 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage.
CLICK HERE for all SFU18AAAHL playoff results
