Local minor hockey teams mine gold at provincials

Two teams from the Peace region brought home gold medals from provincial hockey championships held over the weekend.

The Grande Prairie U13 Female A Knights claimed their title in Picture Butte. After going 3-0-1 in the round-robin and beating Airdrie 4-3 in a semi-final, the girls blanked Red Deer 4-0 in the final. Charlie Evarts made 22 saves for the shutout, while Payton Lorenz led the offence with a goal and an assist. Bentley Hanson, Taylor Wasylchew, and Grace Cuff also scored for the Knights in the final.

Meanwhile, the Fort St John Huskies claimed their first Alberta Junior B provincial crown in Wainwright with a 6-0 win over Cochrane in the final. Alex Nimmo had a hat trick for the Huskies while Tyler McArthur picked up the shutout. Justin Brownlee, Kurtis Lee, and Cayden Frenette also scored for the NWJHL champs.

The win was redemption for the Huskies, who fell 5-4 in round-robin play to Cochrane, giving up the winning goal with just two seconds left in the third period.