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2024-25 Northwood Junior and Senior Playoff Champions

2024-25 Northwood Junior and Senior Playoff Championship Finals complete!
A truly special and historic evening took place during the 2024-25 Northwood Hockey League Championship Finals yesterday as prior to both the Junior and Senior games everyone stood for a thrilling performance of O Canada by one of our Northwood Senior players, Azariya Kitchener. Zar played Center for the Blackhawks this season and contributed in a meaningful way to her team, on & off the ice, as a dedicated, skilled, hard working player with great sportsmanship and a positive attitude. Recently, she performed O Canada at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Zar reached out to the league to offer to sing O Canada for the Finals,  which afterwards Leafs Head Coach Allen Powell called it “A classy touch and a fantastic performance”. On behalf of the entire Northwood Hockey League "THANK YOU, AZARIYA!"
 

 
First up was the Northwood Junior Division Championship Game in a packed Delany Arena with family, friends, fans, and spectators showing up to watch the RJ CONCRETE SOLUTIONS OILERS vs. DONE-RITE TIRE & AUTO PENGUINS a rematch of the holiday classic which also went to overtime. Both teams exchanged shot after shot, with OILERS goalie ISAAC MURRAY and PENGUINS goalie RYDER SAJ making save after save in an unbelievable display of goaltending at each end of the rink. With all watching cheering loud while kept on the edge of their seats, the teams left it all on the ice, shift after shift in an exciting thriller which once again was scoreless after regulation time as both goaltenders were doing everything possible to ensure no puck crossed their respective goal lines.

In overtime, both teams continued to exchange chance after chance which was amazing to see all of the players on both teams giving it their all which it stayed scoreless into the 6^th period of the game but finally with only 23 seconds remaining in the 12^th overtime shift (which was the last before the game would have had to be settled by a shootout), the OILERS 3^rd liner LEVI KAOMA broke free and fired a shot glove side which the penguins goalie got a piece of the puck but it trickled into the net for the 1-0 victory. The shots on both nets if recorded would have easily been over 100 between the two goalies which MURRAY and SAJ both stood on their heads keeping it scoreless throughout what is believed to be the longest game in Northwood history. CONGRATULATIONS to both on an extremely exciting and fantastic Junior Division final, the RUNNER UP - PENGUINS and CHAMPIONS - OILERS!





 In the second game and final game of the season, the Northwood Senior Division Championship Game at the Gardens also saw plenty of fans cheering loud, including many wearing a variety of Leafs jerseys to watch the IRON RANGE BUS LINES VIKINGS vs. NORTENOS TAQUERIA LEAFS. Different than the other final, BRADY GARRIOCK scored the first goal of the game mid way through the first period to get the LEAFS on the board 1-0 and the score after one period of play.  In the first shift of the second period, JUSTIN BLAIS of the VIKINGS scored and tied the Senior final 1-1. The score would remain 1-1 after two and over half of the third which it was starting to look like the league could be in for another overtime finish with both VIKINGS goalie BRODY PYKARI and LEAFS goalie MATHESYN DIONNE turning away shots at both end of the rink as the teams opened up firing every puck on net.

With just over 3 minutes remaining in regulation the LEAFS broke out on a 2-1 where GARRIOCK carried the puck wide and made an incredible cross-ice pass onto the stick of ETHAN DEAGAZIO who fired the eventual game winning goal into the back of the net for a 2-1 lead. With momentum on their side, MIKA TAIPALE scored another for the LEAFS thirty-one seconds later, with a fourth LEAFS goal scored by JACOB DANIW with only 1:37 remaining in the third period, securing a 4-1 victory. CONGRATULATIONS on an action packed, fast, and exciting game to conclude the 2024-25 Northwood hockey season, to both the RUNNER UP – VIKINGS and CHAMPIONS – LEAFS!
 
 
 

 
THANK YOU, Northwood Hockey - players, parents, fans, coaches, managers and the entire executive for another tremedous season.  Truly a team effort, the hard work and dedication of so many volunteers allows us all to enjoy this great game on and off the ice!