WINNIPEG – The St. Paul’s Crusaders won their third straight provincial title in AAAA hockey.
In what was a rematch of the city final the Crusaders beat the Sturgeon Heights Huskies 4-1 in the provincial championship game on Monday at the Bell MTS Iceplex. St. Paul’s also defeated the Huskies in the city championship series less than two weeks ago.
The Crusaders scored the only goal of the opening period. The Huskies answered back just 15 seconds into the middle stanza and it was dead even going to the final frame. Both teams had their fair share of chances to take the lead in the third period. But St. Paul’s scored a pair of goals just 1:34 apart in the final five minutes of regulation and then they added an empty netter to secure a third consecutive provincial hockey title.
Matt Major had the the hat trick in the victory for the Crusaders. Michael Lee scored the Crusaders other goal and after the game was chosen as the tournament’s most valuable player.
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Zachary Greenwood scored the only goal for the Huskies in the loss.
After going 23-0-1 in the regular season, the Crusaders won four of their five playoff games before finishing provincials with an unbeaten record at 4-0. In addition to winning three straight provincial titles St. Paul’s has also won in four of the last five years. Overall it’s the eighth provincial championship in AAAA hockey for St. Paul’s in the tournament’s 27 year history.
Tournament Awards
Player Choice Award – Michael Lee (St. Paul’s)
Tournament MVP – Michael Lee (St. Paul’s)
Tournament All-Stars – Ryan Ostermann (Sturgeon Heights), Mack Whitely (Sturgeon Heights), Lenny Baranyk (St. Paul’s), Ethan Lewis (St. Paul’s), and Eric Samyn (St. Paul’s)
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