Eagles take first loss, setting up quarterfinal clash

The Canmore Eagles are taking the long road to a Centennial Cup championship.

Not only are they the Alberta Junior Hockey League champions the furthest afield at the 10-team tournament in Summerside, P.E.I., but they now must win three consecutive playoff games to claim the Canadian Junior A Hockey League championship.

Adam Vigfussion’s hat trick led the Niverville Nighthawks to a 6-4 win over the Alberta Junior Hockey League representatives on Tuesday, May 12. Aidan Tkachuk scored twice for Canmore while Cohen Daoust had three assists.

“I thought we looked fatigued,” said GM/Head Coach Andrew Milne. “It looked like we were behind a step behind.”

Breakdowns were the biggest concern for the coach, who called it “uncharacteristic” by his charges.

“I think the forwards turned over the puck too much,” said Milne. “Mentally, we were just behind, and they had two days off and they were ready to jump on us.”

The win by the Manitoba Junior Hockey League champions gave the team first place in Pool A while Canmore, which finished the round-robin portion with two wins, one overtime victory and one loss, placed second and must weather a quarterfinal game.

“It was a hard game” said Eagles forward Will Lutic, who assisted on Canmore’s opening goal, finishing the round-robin with six points (1G-5A). “It was a learning experience for us. We have been able to succeed most of this tournament, and this one just didn’t go our way.”

Niverville’s victory gives the team a bye into Saturday’s semifinal round. Canmore will have to win three games in three days beginning with a yet-to-be-determined third place team in Pool B quarterfinal game on Friday (either 1 p.m. MT or 4:30 p.m. MT).

Host Summerside Western Capitals, on seven points, placed third finishing up their round-robin with a 5-3 victory over the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Thunder Bay North Stars in Tuesday’s late game. The Caps will take on a yet-to-be-determined opponent in the other quarterfinal on Friday.

The result leaves the pre-tournament favourite and Central Canada Hockey League representative Rockland Nationals out of the championship picture. The Nationals, at 1-1-0-1, needed either Niverville or Summerside to lose on Tuesday – neither of which happened.

Rockland will wind up its tournament with a game against Niverville on Wednesday, 1 p.m. MT.

In Canmore’s game with Niverville, the Nighthawks opened the scoring when Vigfusson flipped the puck into the left side of the goal off a pass from Hayden Wheddon on a two-on-one at 3:47.

Canmore replied on the second of consecutive penalties drawn when Niverville defencemen fouled players driving to the goal. Ryder Dembo, who drew the second of those penalties when he was hooked, scored from the left point at 17:02 with a shot that took a slight deflection and tucked low inside the right post.

However, with seven seconds to go, Vigfusson scored his second of the period off another Wheddon pass – a quick, high shot over the blocker of Alex Scheiwiller.

The Nighthawks extended that lead in the second period.

Leduc stole the puck at centre ice with a poke check and then on the breakaway fired the puck just over the right pad for a two-goal lead at 6:22.

Vigfusson completed his hat trick with a power-play goal at 12:37 with a shot from the high slot that sailed over the left shoulder of the Scheiwiller.

A pair of Tkachuk goals on either side of the break would make for a stirring end.

Tkachuk got his first goal of the tournament at 17:24 when he touched Cohen Daoust’s pass between the pads of Niverville goaltender and Ardrossan product Austin Dubinsky, who earlier in the day was named winner of the CJHL’s top goaltender award.

Tkachuk then made it a one-goal game at 4:26 of the third period when he again combined with Daoust, this time catching Dubinsky out of position as Daoust’s pass came from below the goal line and the Eagles forward tucked the puck inside the near post, stick side on the Niverville goaltender.

Cole Mears renewed Niverville’s two-goal lead at 6:30 with a long shot that went in low inside the left post.

Then with the goaltender pulled, Szabo scored his fourth goal of the tournament with a slap shot up high from the point at 19:27. The Canmore captain scored in every game and finished the round robin with seven points (4G-3A).

Niverville sealed the victory four seconds later when Dawson Zeller flicked the puck from centre ice into the still empty net.

Canmore outshot Niverville 28-23.

On the power play, the Eagles went 1-for-4 while the Nighthawks were 1-for-1.

The team will use Wednesday as a rest day in preparation for the weekend push.

“We want to put the team into a position they don’t have to do too much: physically, mentally and emotionally,” said Milne. “This tournament is a grind. You are here for two weeks: the same hotel, the same restaurants. So tomorrow, we are going to give them a day to rest and have a little fun.”

In Pool B, there are three teams tied on six points and one team eliminated after Collège Français de Longueuil defeated the Greater Sudbury Cubs 3-1.

Tied for the pool lead with two wins and one loss are the Quebec Junior Hockey League champions and Ontario Junior Hockey League Toronto Patriots, who meet Wednesday at 9 a.m. MT, and the Maritime Junior Hockey League Truro Bearcats.

Truro will meet the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Flin Flom Bombers, who are on three points, in the final round-robin game on Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. MT. A regulation-time win by the Bearcats would give them first place in Pool B while a loss for either team sees their tournament ended.

The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League Cubs have been eliminated from the competition, finishing with one win and three losses.

Tuesday games:

A three-goal opening period followed by a fourth goal in the opening half of the second frame gave the Western Capitals an insurmountable lead, secured a playoff spot and eliminated Rockland.

Elliott Roberts scored twice for Summerside.

Thunder Bay made it close with a pair of Easton Glousher power-play goals but would have to settle for four defeats in the tournament – the only team to go winless at this year’s event.

A pair of third-period goals propelled the QJHL champions to victory and keep them in contention for the top seed out of Pool A.

CF de Longueuil goaltender Matthis Lacroix-Goulet made 35 saves and through three games has a 1.00 goals-against average, one shutout and a .965 save percentage.

OVERTIME: All games are being streamed as pay-per-view on HNLive.ca, with Sunday’s championship game also available on TSN+. … Patrinos Steak House & Pub is hosting all-ages watch parties throughout the Centennial Cup to bring Canmore Eagles’ fans together to cheer on and celebrate the team.

(RW-OTW-OTL-RL—Pts)

Pool A: 1. x-Niverville (2-1-0-0—8), 2. y-Canmore (2-1-0-1—8), y-3. Summerside (2-0-1-1—7), 4. Rockland (1-0-1-1—4), 5. Thunder Bay (0-0-0-4—0).

Pool B: 1. Truro (2-0-0-1—6), 2. Toronto (2-0-0-1—6), 3. CF de Longueuil (2-0-0-1—6), 4. Flin Flon (1-0-0-2—3), 5. Greater Sudbury (1-0-0-3—3).

x-clinched semifinal place, y-clinched quarterfinal spot

(All times MT)

Wednesday, May 13: CF de Longueuil vs Toronto, 9 a.m.; Rockland vs Niverville, 1 p.m.; Truro vs Flin Flon, 4:30 p.m.

Friday, May 15: Quarterfinal No. 1, 1 p.m.; Quarterfinal No. 2, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 16: Semifinal No. 1, 1 p.m.; Semifinal No. 2, 4:30 p.m.

Sunday: May 17: Championship Game, 4 p.m.

May 12: Greater Sudbury 1 CF de Longueuil 3; Niverville 6 Canmore 4; Thunder Bay 3 Summerside 4

May 11:  Flin Flon 6 Greater Sudbury 4; Rockland 8 Thunder Bay 2; Toronto 1 Truro 6

May 10: Truro 2 CF de Longueuil 1; Summerside 1 Canmore 5

May 9: Thunder Bay 2 Niverville 7; Flin Flon 2 Toronto 7; Summerside 4 Rockland 2

May 8: Flin Flon 0 CF de Longueuil 1; Canmore 3 Thunder Bay 2; Greater Sudbury 4 Truro 1

May 7: Greater Sudbury 3 Toronto 8; Rockland 2 Canmore 3 (OT); Niverville 5 Summerside 4 (OT)