In a commanding display of minor league hockey, the U11 Lions roared to a decisive 4-1 victory over the U11 Wolves Black, with standout performances from #3 Nolan Milner and #14 Dermot Mielke leading the charge. The Lions came out flying in the opening period, setting the tone just two minutes in when Milner #3 found the back of the net at 15:53 for an even-strength goal that ignited the home bench. The Wolves quickly countered when Charlotte Killey #8 capitalized on a setup from Chloe Chan #2 and Jillian Cassidy #21 at 14:03 to level the score, but the Lions' response was swift and decisive. Dermot Mielke #14 restored the lead at 7:04 with a well-placed even-strength goal, and the Lions never looked back from there.
The second period belonged entirely to the Lions, who added two more goals to build an insurmountable lead. Mielke struck again at 13:30 with a shorthanded goal, assisted by #5 Munashe Berejena, showcasing the Lions' ability to capitalize even when down a man after Nolan Milner had been sent to the box for holding at 14:57. The short-handed tally proved to be the dagger, and Milner #3 capped off his brilliant two-goal performance at 5:23 with another even-strength tally, this time set up by #8 Rhett Faulkner and #2 Dryden Babiuk. Despite the Wolves' efforts to generate offense, they could only muster 8 shots on goal over the entire game, while the Lions peppered Wolves netminder Lucy Ji #27 with 21 shots.
In net, Berejena #5 was rock solid for the Lions, turning away 7 of 8 shots to secure the win, with the lone blemish being Killey's first-period equalizer. The Wolves' Ji faced a heavy workload and made several impressive saves, but the Lions' relentless pressure proved too much to overcome. A late third-period penalty to the Wolves' #15 Raphaëlle Gauthier for tripping at 4:09 offered a final power-play chance, but the Lions' penalty kill stood tall, and the game ended without further scoring. The comprehensive victory showcased the Lions' balanced attack and defensive discipline, while the Wolves will look to regroup after a tough afternoon.
U13 BRONCOS
