The Calgary Canucks toppled the Melfort Mustangs 7-2 to claim the 2025 Centennial Cup. The Canucks took on their SJHL counterparts at the Max Bell Centre in Calgary on Sunday in the final game of the national junior A ice hockey championship. Calgary got out to a 1-0 lead in the first period with a power-play goal from Rhett Melnyk. Ashton Paul of the Mustangs answered back to tie the game 1-1 a few minutes later. The Canucks then went on a five-goal run over the next two periods, with two coming on the power play, taking a 6-1 lead. Hayden Fechner, Landon Pappas, Nolan DuPont, Jayden Joly and Jack Plandowski each netted one before Melfort’s Zayden Sadlemyer added one more goal to break the scoring streak. Fechner added an empty netter to bring the final score to 7-2. The Canucks finished the night 3/4 on the power play. Lukas Renaud manned the net for Calgary, stopping 27 of 29 shots for a 0.931 save percentage. The Canucks are national champions after finishing third from the bottom of the AJHL just two seasons ago. Captain Bowen Singleton attributed the quick turnaround to the culture the team has built over the past few years. “It went from coming to the rink hoping to win to, ‘We’re going to win,’” the 20-year-old forward said. “It started with the coaching staff, and, you know what, I couldn’t be more proud of the boys for holding that standard all year long.” Last season, the Canucks fell just one game shy of playing for the Centennial Cup, losing to Melfort in the tournament’s semi-finals. “We were close last year, but we weren’t satisfied, and the guys that were there helped push us over the top,” head coach Brad Moran said. “They all play for each other, and I think that that’s the main reason we’re here; we don’t have individuals.” The Canucks made quick work of the AJHL playoffs on their way to their second national junior A championship, beating the Camrose Kodiaks in five games and then sweeping both the Drumheller Dragons and Grande Prairie Storm. They also finished as AJHL regular-season champions, finishing the year with a 37-13-2-2 record.
