In a wild offensive showcase that saw 12 goals and plenty of late-game drama, the U18 Beast roared to a 7-5 victory over the EDM JR Kings on Friday night. The game was a see-saw battle from the opening puck drop, with both teams trading chances in a first period that saw 48 total shots combined. The Kings struck first at 11:43 of the opening frame when Jason Dhaliwal (#88) found the back of the net, assisted by Navsaaj Bajwa and Nihaal Dhinsa. But Dhinsa wasn't done—he buried his own goal just over four minutes later, with Vardeep Bhinder picking up the helper, to give EDM a 2-0 lead.
The Beast refused to back down, however. Chase Wilton (#8) cut the deficit in half at 3:07 of the first with an unassisted tally, and Nate Christenson (#21) tied the game at 2-2 just before the period ended, with Rowan Wilton earning an assist. The second period was more of the same, with Irjodh Cheema (#71) putting the Kings back ahead before Zephyr Jong (#46) and Brody Hudson (#58) scored in quick succession to give the Beast their first lead of the game. Hudson, who would finish the night with a hat trick, added his second goal late in the period to make it 5-3 heading into the final frame.
The third period was pure chaos. Hudson completed his hat trick at 15:37, with Christenson assisting, but the Kings clawed back when Udhay Gill (#4) scored at 12:42 with help from Jason Dhaliwal and Gurshan Dhillon. The Beast’s Carter Bishop (#44) then struck on the power play at 9:43, and Hudson added his fourth goal of the game just two minutes later to make it 7-4. The Kings never quit, though—Shanvir Deol (#21) scored with just two seconds remaining in regulation to cap the scoring at 7-5. Between the pipes, the Beast’s Colin Szaszkiewicz was stellar, stopping all 23 shots he faced for a perfect save percentage and the win. At the other end, Denver Purkins made just 3 saves on 25 shots in a tough outing for the Kings. The Beast’s relentless offense and big-time performances from Hudson, Bishop, and Wilton proved too much for EDM to handle in this high-octane affair.
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