The Brick 24th Annual Invitational Super Novice Hockey Tournament at West Edmonton Mall’s Ice Palace featured tremendous hockey action this week, including three young St. Albert skaters, Matt Savoie, Levi Fesyk and Cale Ashcroft playing for Team Brick Alberta.
12:30 p.m. Monday, June 30
Connecticut Yankees 1, Team Brick Alberta 4
Team Brick Alberta found the lead early and held onto it for a 4-1 victory over the Connecticut Yankees.
It was only 56 seconds into the game when Alberta player Ben Hemmerling picked up a pass from Jordan Gustafson and tapped the puck home for an early lead.
Gustafson got into the goal column just two minutes later when he capitalized on a Yankees power play mistake and snapped home the first short-handed goal of the tournament.
The game settled down defensively for two periods until the Yankees’ Andon Cerbone made it a one goal game seven seconds into the third period.
Hemmerling stepped up for Team Brick Alberta a few minutes later by taking a pass from Gustafson and putting it in the back of the net.
The assist was Gustafson’s third point of the game.
Captain Matt Savoie scored a power play goal late in the third with help from Roger Lorenz and Liam Watkins to make the score 4-1.
Nicholas Jones made 22 saves off of 23 shots for Team Brick Alberta in the first game of the tournament.
7:10 p.m. Monday June 30
Team Brick Alberta 2, Pennsylvania 3
Team Brick Alberta lost their second game of the tournament in an excellent back and forth tilt with Pennsylvania by a score of 3-2.
Liam Watkins got the only goal of the first period for Team Brick Alberta with help from Matt Savoie and Keaton Downhaniuk.
It was a wild one with Team Brick Alberta outshooting Pennsylvania 10-2.
Ryder Wicken and Luke Janac assisted Luke Woodworth in tying up the game with his first goal of the tournament 28 seconds into the second period.
Woodworth wasn’t done and scored a sneaky short-handed goal with help from Grace Dwyer and Tyler Duke less than two minutes later.
Alberta’s Liam Watkins answered eight minutes into the third to tie the game at 2-2.
Watkins was assisted on the play by Taylor Haggerty and Jackson Roth.
Late in the third period Woodworth completed his hat trick on the power play with help from Alex Rafalski and Braedon Ford.
Three goals would prove to be enough as Pennsylvania took this one by a score of 3-2.
The game was an evenly matched nail-biter with both teams taking exactly 17 shots on net.
8:50 p.m. Tuesday July 1
Team California 1, Team Brick Alberta 0
Team California shut out Team Brick Alberta in a one goal game Tuesday night.
It was a goaltending showcase between two teams that can really score.
Team Brick Alberta outshot California by a margin of three to one but could not find an answer for the riddle of California goaltender Nicholas Avakyan.
Early in the second California’s Kyle Isenberg took a pass from James Mastrosimone and snuck one into the back of the net for the game’s only goal.
Avakyan stopped all 34 shots and was awarded first star of the game for his superb work in between the posts.
12:30 p.m. Wednesday July 2
Toronto Pro Hockey 1, Team Brick Alberta 2
Team Brick Alberta gritted out a tough win over Toronto Pro Hockey in double overtime of an exciting 2-1 game.
The teams were deadlocked until seven minutes into the second period when Toronto’s Mick Thompson found a little space and tucked one home for the one goal lead.
Paul Ludwinski and Shane Wright picked up the assists on Thompson’s goal.
The game seemed to be slipping away from Team Alberta until late in the third period when Liam Watkins took a pass from Ben Hemmerling on the power play and fired home the tying goal.
Matt Savoie chalked up the second assist on the play.
The game stayed locked up until second overtime when Savoie picked up a pass from Seamus Casey and flipped the puck past the Toronto goalie for the game winner.
Nicholas Jones stopped 22 of 23 shots and looked sharp in the extra periods for Team Brick Alberta.
7:30 a.m. Thursday July 3
Team Brick Alberta 6, Chicago Jr. Blackhawks 0
Liam Watkins picked up a hat trick and Nicholas Jones earned a shutout in a big game for Team Brick Alberta late in the tournament.
Team Alberta went up early in the first period and maintained offence throughout the game, scoring two goals in each of the three periods.
The Blackhawks were not able to get on the board but gave Alberta a very tough third period.
Special teams were a big factor in Thursday’s game with Liam Watkins and Rieger Lorenz picking up power play goals and Keaton Dowhaniuk potting a second period goal short-handed.
Ben Hemmerling quietly had an excellent game with a goal in the second period and three assists.
Team Brick Alberta outshot the Chicago Jr. Blackhawks 33 to 17.
Team Brick Alberta had one more game scheduled Friday, July 4 but the score was not available by deadline.
