ESTEVAN, Sask. – The Brooks Bandits have won the 2022 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, scoring four times in the third period to claim Canada’s 50th National Junior A Championship with a thrilling 4-1 win over the Pickering Panthers on Sunday night.

With the win, Brooks becomes the fourth team to win back-to-back national titles - joining Vernon (1990-91 and 2009-10) and Prince Albert (1981-82) - and the third team to win at least three championships, along with Vernon (six) and Prince Albert (four).

Ethan Doyle (Whitby, Ont.) scored the lone goal of the first period for Pickering and Zachary Roy (Callander, Ont.) made 28 saves through the first two periods, backstopping the Panthers to a 1-0 lead heading into the final frame.

Brooks stormed back in the third, with Aiden Fink (Calgary, Alta.) getting the Bandits on the board at 6:54 and Devin Phillips (Raleigh, N.C.) scoring 14 seconds later to put the AJHL champions ahead for good. Ryan McAllister (London, Ont.) added two goals in the final seven minutes to help the Bandits secure the victory.

“[Pickering] slowed us down, they slowed the game down and credit to them for the game plan, because it worked,” said Brooks head coach Ryan Papaioannou. “We felt like if we got one, we would be completely fine because they’d have to change how they’d play and we might be able to break it open. It was a nerve-wracking game; I thought our emotions on the bench were a little bit up and down, luckily [Fink] got one to get us started.”

“They had a good game plan; they weren’t scared of blocking shots, so we just had to break that with our movement in the offensive zone,” said Brooks captain Ethan Lund (Calgary, Alta.). “This is the best group I’ve ever been a part of and it’s an amazing feeling [to win]. I had the first [national championship] my first year [in 2019], which was amazing, just getting that taste. Now having a bigger role, it’s an incredibly great feeling.”

Goaltender Ethan Barwick (St. Albert, Alta.) recorded 10 saves for the win.

Full game stats and story are available at HockeyCanada.ca.

Brooks finished first in Group A in the preliminary round with four wins in as many games. The Bandits defeated Longueuil (5-2), Red Lake (11-4), Pickering (9-1) and Estevan (4-1) before an 11-2 semifinal win over Longueuil on Saturday.

Portage la Prairie, Man., and the Portage Terriers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League will play host to the 51st edition of Canada’s National Junior A Championship in May 2023 with final dates and format to be finalized.

For more information on the Centennial Cup, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The 2021-22 season comes to an end Sunday for the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), with two teams – the Brooks Bandits and Pickering Panthers – remaining in the chase for Canada’s National Junior A Championship.

But how did those two teams, and the rest of the CJHL, get to the championship game at the 2022 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons? And how do the Bandits and Panthers match up?

ROAD TO THE CENTENNIAL CUP

261 – Days between the first regular-season game (Shamrocks du West Island vs. Collège Français de Longueuil in the Ligue de hockey junior AAA du Québec) on Sept. 10, 2021 and the Centennial Cup final on Sunday.

3,327 – Regular season (2,939) and playoff (388) games necessary for 115 teams to become two on the Road to the Centennial Cup.

23,201 – Goals scored in the regular season (20,731) and playoffs (2,470) by the 115 teams across the CJHL, an average of 6.97 goals per game.

126:21 – Duration of the longest game played on the Road to the Centennial Cup (Brockville Braves defeated Pembroke Lumber Kings 2-1 in Game 7 of their CCHL quarterfinal on April 22).

CENTENNIAL CUP FINAL – HEAD-TO-HEAD

Winning percentage (regular season):

BRO – .867 (52-6-2) – 1st in CJHL
PIC – .722 (39-11-4) – 16th in CJHL

Winning percentage (playoffs):

BRO – .944 (17-1)
PIC – .800 (16-4)

Goals per game (regular season):

BRO – 6.18 (371 goals in 60 games) – 3rd in CJHL
PIC – 3.69 (199 goals in 54 games) – 46th in CJHL

Goals per game (playoffs):

BRO – 6.00 (108 goals in 18 games)
PIC – 4.05 (81 goals in 20 games)

Goals against per game (regular season):

BRO – 2.17 (130 goals in 60 games) – 4th in CJHL
PIC – 2.50 (135 goals in 54 games) – 12th in CJHL

Goals against per game (playoffs):

BRO – 2.28 (41 goals in 18 games)
PIC – 2.85 (57 goals in 20 games)

Power play (regular season):

BRO – 35.3% (100 for 283) – 1st in CJHL
PIC – 15.7% (27 for 172) – 88th in CJHL

Power play (playoffs):

BRO – 31.1% (23 for 74)
PIC – 20.0% (16 for 80)

Penalty killing (regular season):

BRO – 86.6% (188 of 217) – 14th in CJHL
PIC – 90.0% (170 of 189) – 5th in CJHL

Penalty killing (playoffs):

BRO – 85.1% (57 of 67)
PIC – 79.8% (79 of 99)

Brooks Bandits 11, Collège Français de Longueuil 2 (Semifinal)

• Game stats available here

Pickering Panthers 2, Dauphin Kings 0 (Semifinal)

• Game stats available here

Next game – Sunday, May 29 (Championship):

• Pickering Panthers vs. Brooks Bandits (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, will broadcast the championship game.

Quotes:

“I think regardless of the score, our guys played extremely well. We were certainly cognizant of how good their top line was and their power play. In terms of penalty discipline, we did a great job staying off the penalty kill and making sure they didn’t have opportunities to score.”

- Brooks head coach Ryan Papaioannou on his team’s victory

“It’s extremely exciting; all our young guys have evolved tremendously throughout the season. The experience [our players] were able to acquire here is going to be phenomenal moving forward for the rest of their careers, same for the coaching staff. We wanted to rise to the occasion when it matters, and I think we’ve done that all year long. Reaching the semifinals is something to be proud of. We felt the love from our fans, it was a great experience.”

- Longueuil head coach Éric Bouchard on what Centennial Cup experience means for his team

“[Zachary] Roy played a fantastic game for us and that’s what we truly needed; we needed him to backstop us to the finals. The last two games that he’s played, he’s just feeling better. At the end of the day, he’s feeling healthy, he’s feeling more confident and you can really tell.”

- Pickering head coach Rob Pearson on his goaltender’s 32-save performance

“They won a ring and they won the provincial championship in the [Manitoba Junior Hockey League] and not everybody gets the chance to do that every year. For the 20-year olds, they’ll tell you it’s really tough, but at the same time you’ve got to give Pickering credit. Overall, we had chances and the power play didn’t get it done today.”

- Dauphin head coach Doug Hedley on his team’s accomplishments this season

For more information on the 2022 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Pickering Panthers 3, Flin Flon Bombers 2 (2OT)

• Game stats available here

Collège Français de Longueuil 4, Summerside Western Capitals 3

• Game stats available here

Next games – Saturday, May 28 (Semifinals):

• Collège Français de Longueuil vs. Brooks Bandits (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT)
• Pickering Panthers vs. Dauphin Kings (9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, will broadcast the championship game at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on May 29, with both semifinals livestreamed at HockeyCanada.ca.

Quotes:

“The whole team grinded all night long; [we] came back from a two-goal deficit and I think that that [overtime] goal shows the battle that we have. Battle gets won in the corner, puck pops up, shot on the net, there’s good screens and it finds it’s way in. It’s not me, it’s a whole team effort.”

- Pickering defenceman Cael Cavallin on his game-winning goal in double overtime

“I’m very proud of what we were able to do this year. It’s tough to put into words right now; obviously heartbroken with the way it ended, but I’ve never been so proud of a group of guys and what we’ve been able to accomplish. Disappointing that we kind of found a way to lose this game. Scoring two power-play goals and giving up two shorthanded goals is the difference in the game. You can’t do that and expect to win.”

- Flin Flon head coach Mike Reagan on his team’s accomplishments this season and its effort in the quarterfinals

“I’ve got to give [Summerside] credit, they had a really strong start, which wasn’t the case for us. We were able to erase a two-goal deficit, that was strong. But I felt they got a better first period than us overall. We had to show a lot of character to get back into this game. The first objective was to reach the quarterfinals and we knew that after that, anything was possible. From now on, all the opponents are really tough to play against just have to make sure to bring our A-game tomorrow.”

- Longueuil head coach Eric Bouchard on his team’s resiliency

“When we came out here, we wanted to represent P.E.I. and the Maritime Hockey League in a respectful way, win or lose. I have 22 tremendous men here that have grown as men throughout the season. They’re very disappointed right now, but every day I was proud of them. They turned into men and I think we are leaving the jersey better then we found it.”

- Summerside head coach Bill McGuigan on representing P.E.I. and the Maritimes at the Centennial Cup

For more information on the 2022 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Rodney MacArthur woke up to a pleasant surprise to begin his May 24.

He received an email containing the 2022-23 schedule for the Union College men’s hockey team.

The prospect of venturing down to Schenectady, New York, this autumn to watch his youngest son Colby’s freshman NCAA season fills the hockey dad with enthusiasm.

“It will be a great step as this is a level in the game he has never played,” says Rodney. “Colby thinks he is up to the challenge, and so do we. We’re so excited, and we plan on taking trips to New York to support him.”

Conversations between Rodney and Colby about the latter’s new, exciting chapter of his hockey career will undoubtedly take place in the days to come.

Right now, the 20-year-old’s sole focus is helping the Summerside Western Capitals to national glory at the 2022 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, in Estevan, Sask.

“I’m not looking past the two weeks of this competition,” says Colby, who led the Maritime Hockey League (MHL) with 57 assists and 75 points during the regular season. “We are at nationals to win it. My family is here to support me, and all the conversations are about hockey and how I’m playing.”

Colby’s preliminary-round performance indicates the attitude of laser-focused intensity is translating to the ice on the big stage. He registered two goals and four assists for a team-leading six points in four games and was named the tournament’s most sportsmanlike player. His overtime goal in a 4-3 decision over the Ottawa Jr. Senators on Wednesday afternoon vaulted his squad into a quarterfinal showdown against Collège Français de Longueuil.

One of the driving forces fueling the young man’s point-producing prowess and clutch-play performances is confidence that hockey excellence is in the MacArthur family DNA.

Rodney and older brother Brodie, 23, attained one and two league scoring titles, respectively, during their Junior A careers on P.E.I. Rodney, now the principal of Queen Elizabeth Elementary School in Kensington, captured the Island Junior Hockey League (IJHL) points crown in 1988-89 with the Charlottetown Abbies. Suiting up for Summerside, Brodie won the MHL scoring race in 2018-19 (110 points) and 2019-20 (108 points). His 357 career points in 196 games are the most in league history.

Brodie, playing for the University of Prince Edward Island since 2020, has a pass-first mentality like his younger brother – 215 of his points for the Western Capitals were assists.

Supporting Colby from home in P.E.I during the Centennial Cup, Brodie shares how Rodney instilled within his sons a desire to play unselfish, two-way hockey.

“He coached us both growing up and whenever there were games when the score was out of hand, he would ask us to complete three passes before attempting to score. That is where that pass-first play really first started.”

Colby says he appreciates Rodney’s commitment to help he and Colby elevate their craft, which was on display from their earliest backyard rink days.

“He put us through drills that I don’t think many kids would have been doing at four or five years old like triangle stickhandling and using angles and boards as a playmaker. He wanted the best for us. I could not have asked for a better father.”

Like individual accolades, team championships evidently magnetize towards the MacArthur brothers, too. Colby has won nine straight league titles dating back to his U11 days, and Brodie accrued a slew of championships, including first place at the 2012 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament.

Sibling backyard rink battles nurtured Colby and Brodie’s tenacity.

“He’s the reason I am so competitive,” says Colby. “Even when I was younger and five inches shorter, he would still hit me as hard as he could when we battled in the corner. We pushed each other to be stronger.”

Now, in adulthood, Colby has the height advantage at 6-foot-3, three inches taller than Brodie and bigger than Rodney, too. He has capitalized on his towering frame to play a more physical brand of hockey than his father and brother.

Rodney is proud of the player Colby has become.

“I would say he was a better skater, smoother than I was. And I would say he was a better all-around player too. He is great at both ends and is strong on faceoffs.”

Brodie says his brother’s trajectory as a player continues to trend upward.

“Every year he plays he gets better. He’s always had good hockey skill, vision, a desire to win and the ability to work hard. He has improved on his shot, speed and overall game. I expect him to keep going that way.”

Under the guidance of head coach Billy McGuigan, who was Brodie’s coach and the stick boy for Rodney’s Abbies, Colby will attempt to become a MacArthur pioneer. He would become the first member of his family to win Canada’s National Junior A Championship.

He has the support of Rodney, Brodie, mother Kim and older sister Brooke as he pursues this feat.

Summerside Western Capitals 4, Ottawa Jr. Senators 3 (OT)

• Game stats available here

Dauphin Kings 6, Soo Thunderbirds 1

• Game stats available here

Brooks Bandits 4, Estevan Bruins 0

• Game stats available here

Next games – Friday, May 27 (Quarterfinals):

• Flin Flon Bombers vs. Pickering Panthers (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT)
• Collège Français de Longueuil vs. Summerside Western Capitals (9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, will broadcast the championship game at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on May 29, with all playoff-round games livestreamed at HockeyCanada.ca.

Quotes:

“There were some stressful moments, but at the two-and-a-half-minute mark we called a timeout with our top five guys on the ice. We moved our goalie in and out a couple of times and finally got a big goal by [Brendan] McCarthy - an unlikely hero, but a hero today. We knew what was at stake and it had nothing to do with coaching. These kids know what it takes to win. We’re pretty happy to still be playing and not packing our bags to go home; it’s awesome, but the job’s not done yet.”

- Summerside head coach Bill McGuigan on his team’s dramatic win to reach the quarterfinals

“We have had a bit of a carry-over from the [MJHL] championship series against Steinbach. We had a great series, the work ethic and compete level was there and that’s continued into this tournament. Our goaltender – Carson Cherepak - is playing really well; the first 10 minutes of both games he was outstanding and gave us an opportunity to win. Getting the bye to the semifinals is also something you want when you come into the tournament, you just want to make the next round. Being first in the pool and getting a bye to the semis on Saturday is fantastic for us. Guys can rest up, have a day off tomorrow, practice on Friday and be ready to go.”

- Dauphin Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley on the keys to his team’s success

“I thought I played well, but credit to my team who kept pucks to the outside for some fairly easy saves. Being able to control rebounds on other shots that aren’t just straight covers was huge for our team. We still wanted to play well tonight, we still had the battle with Dauphin and knew we had to get the win to still clinch first overall, so it was great to see everyone show up and play their best.”

- Brooks Bandits goaltender Ethan Barwick on his 32-save performance

“We had a great year; we had a target on our back all year and always had the best effort against every team we played. I’m really proud that we accomplished something, we’re [SJHL] champions and that’s hard to do, but unfortunately we just didn’t have a good tournament. We had a slow start, some mental mistakes, which is uncharacteristic for us, but it happens in this tournament and in the end we just couldn’t catch up.”

- Estevan Bruins head coach and general manager Jason Tatarnic reflecting on the season

For more information on the 2022 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Brooks Bandits 9, Pickering Panthers 1

• Game stats available here

Flin Flon Bombers 2, Dauphin Kings 1 (OT)

• Game stats available here

Collège Français de Longueuil 6, Red Lake Miners 1

• Game stats available here

Next games – Wednesday, May 25:

• Summerside Western Capitals vs. Ottawa Jr. Senators (2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT)
• Soo Thunderbirds vs. Dauphin Kings (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT)
• Brooks Bandits vs. Estevan Bruins (9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, will broadcast the championship game at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on May 29, with all preliminary-round and playoff-round games livestreamed at HockeyCanada.ca.

Quotes:

“I think we dominated today, getting out to a hot start; we kept things simple and everyone did their job. Going into our final game against Estevan tomorrow, we just have to continue to do our own thing. We know how to win, we just have to keep playing the same way we’ve been doing all along and we’ll be fine tomorrow.”

- Brooks Bandits forward T.J. Hughes on his team’s perfect record

“We have had some ups and downs so far, but when our backs are up against the wall this crew has responded every time by resetting, refocusing and getting the job done. Winning games like this under the circumstances, where we needed to win, is big for our confidence and we have a belief that we do have a shot at winning. I don’t know if this gets us to the playoff round for sure, but we are confident that two points was enough and getting to the next round is what it’s about.”

- Flin Flon Bombers head coach and general manager Mike Reagan on finding ways to win

“Since the beginning of the playoffs we’ve been playing on a line together (with Gagné and Bouchard) and then switched things up near the end. The three of us really understand how we play, we all bring something different to our line. It’s a great mix of speed, passing, vision and shooting, and our chemistry has been working really well for us.”

- Collège Français de Longueuil forward Owen Stammer leading his team with four goals

For more information on the 2022 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Ryan Howe is grateful for a lot of things – family, friends, hockey and, most importantly, life.

Wearing the ‘C’ for the Red Lake Miners at the 2022 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, the 21-year-old from Caledon, Ont., wasn’t sure he would get an opportunity like this five years ago.

“It was a pretty traumatic experience, and it was near death, so for me, I am just grateful that I am here,” says Howe. “I appreciate the little things in life a little bit more.”

Five years ago, Howe was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a bowel ailment that causes chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.

He didn’t go to school for four months and was hospitalized for six weeks at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He was diagnosed with a toxic megacolon, which is a rare disease that occurs when swelling and inflammation spreads into the deeper layers of the colon. As a result, the colon stops working and widens.

“There was a high chance that I would need a surgical procedure. Luckily, I didn’t,” Howe says. “I was also diagnosed as anemic as I struggled with iron deficiency.”

Throughout his illness, Howe dropped a significant amount of weight. When healthy, the forward weighed around 165 pounds. During his hospital stay, he lost 66 of those – dropping to just 99 pounds as a 16-year-old athlete.

“I didn’t know if I would ever be able to play hockey again,” he says.

When he was released from the hospital, Howe weighed 120 pounds. His recovery focused on getting stronger every month.

“For me, it was just about trying to gain a little bit every month and get stronger,” he says. “I struggled a lot that summer because I didn’t have a lot of energy.”

When Howe stepped back on the ice for his second year of U18 AAA with the Mississauga Senators, he was back to his regular weight but wasn’t where he wanted to be hockey-wise.

“I wasn’t playing my best hockey at all – it was a struggle,” Howe says. “I couldn’t take a couple of strides or raise the puck on my stick – I was too weak. It took a lot of time to get there. It was a long journey.”

Throughout the experience, Howe understood that life can change quickly, and to embrace the little things.

“After that experience, I looked at not just hockey, but life in general, differently,” he says. “I was 16 years old and very athletic and doing well in hockey. My future was looking bright in terms of hockey options and unfortunately a lot of things changed. My focus wasn’t so much on hockey, it was about health.”

Now, he doesn’t take an opportunity he is given for granted.

“Looking back on everything, I appreciate things in life. I am very grateful that I even get a chance to still play hockey. I was originally told that the doctors didn’t know if I could play again,” Howe says. “Going from that to being able to play at the Centennial Cup is awesome and I’m grateful to be here.”

Howe still has an extensive regime to follow to stay healthy – every six weeks, his doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital ship out a Remicade infusion that is administered in Red Lake. Those take two hours to sit through, as well as a daily iron pill and digestive enzymes.

“He is a special kid who does things the right way,” says Geoff Walker, head coach and general manger of the Miners. “He is stronger as a person and there isn’t much more life can throw at him.”

Walker has watched Howe develop over the past three years with the Miners, naming him captain this season. The growth he has seen on and off the ice has been most impactful with his teammates.

“He is calm, cool and in control and that has rubbed off on the team. He has made my job a lot easier,” says Walker. “I’ve seen him grow a lot; coming from Toronto to Red Lake isn’t easy, but he took it in stride, and he moved into that leadership role so seamlessly.”

For Howe, he has used his experience to share that wins and losses aren’t the most important things. And the Miners have fed off what Howe has preached all season – doing it together.

“Winning matters, but I wanted it to be a close group and it has been all year. These guys are my best friends,” Howe says. “The Centennial Cup is a prestigious tournament and playing against the best [Junior A] teams in Canada is a cool experience. We know we are the underdogs, but we are trying to embrace the moment.”

Ottawa Jr. Senators 4, Soo Thunderbirds 0

• Game stats available here

Summerside Western Capitals 4, Flin Flon Bombers 1

• Game stats available here

Estevan Bruins 5, Red Lake Miners 2

• Game stats available here

Next games – Tuesday, May 24:

• Pickering Panthers vs. Brooks Bandits (2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT)
• Dauphin Kings vs. Flin Flon Bombers (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT)
• Collège Français de Longueuil vs. Red Lake Miners (9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, will broadcast the championship game at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on May 29, with all preliminary-round and playoff-round games livestreamed at HockeyCanada.ca.

Quotes:

“I really like the way our guys played; [there was] a lot of creativity and they were skating really well. That looked more like our group [in the third period]; I’m glad they could capitalize on some chances and have positive things going into the next game. I still think we can add a little bit more desperation and can rise to the moment a little quicker. We don’t want to have this feeling-out process every night with teams. I want our guys to capitalize on the opportunities they get, have all 20 pulling in the same direction and see what happens each game from there.”

- Ottawa Jr. Senators head coach Kyle Makaric on his team overcoming slow starts

“In a tournament like this, every game you want to play your best and you want to win. Last night, we didn’t feel that the game (a 7-1 loss to Dauphin) was indicative of the score. We felt we were really good five-on-five, [but we] had a lot of penalties, and our [penalty kill] was out there a lot. So it was nice to come and get the big win [today].”

- Summerside Western Capitals assistant coach Rod Gallant on his team’s resiliency

“ Boston (Bilous) came up with a couple of big saves there, we played a pretty good game but definitely still not up to where we need to be. If he doesn’t make that crazy glove save and the one at the end, it’s a 5-4 game, and you never know what can happen. We’re not satisfied but obviously happy with the win and we hope someone can do us a favour tomorrow.”

- Estevan Bruins captain Eric Houk keeping their tournament hopes alive

For more information on the 2022 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Dauphin Kings 7, Summerside Western Capitals 1

• Game stats available here

Pickering Panthers 3, Collège Français de Longueuil 2 (OT)

• Game stats available here

Next games – Monday, May 23:

• Ottawa Jr. Senators vs. Soo Thunderbirds (2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT)
• Flin Flon Bombers vs. Summerside Western Capitals (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT)
• Red Lake Miners vs. Estevan Bruins (9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, will broadcast the championship game at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on May 29, with all preliminary-round and playoff-round games livestreamed at HockeyCanada.ca.

Quotes:

“I think the biggest thing is when we are on our toes and competing and hard on pucks, we are a good hockey team. We have done that all year, and when we’re relentless, get after guys instead of sitting and watching, we play better. Sometimes you get in a tournament like this and guys are spectators instead of players. Even the last game we sat back in the first 10 minutes, so we just have to be ready to play and start on time.”

- Dauphin Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley on his team’s five-goal second period

“We had a really good first period; that’s the type of game we want to have early on. The second period was probably 50-50, and the third it was important for us to come out strong and manage the puck well. We have to give [Pickering] credit, they pushed back. We just have to keep our heads up and make sure we’re coming back stronger the next game.”

- Collège Français de Longueuil head coach Éric Bouchard on an overtime loss to Pickering

“If you come into this tournament and understand that the round robin is huge, we understand how important of a win this was for us. We just told the guys, when we get to overtime just go for it, be smart and go for it. We got a lucky bounce, the puck bounced out and [Ian Martin] did a great job racing for the puck. He got the job done for us.”

- Pickering Panthers head coach Rob Pearson on a key victory for his team

For more information on the 2022 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.