Armada capture NS U16 AAA hockey championship - the Laker News - Pat Healey

news2023-04-12
Armada capture NS U16 AAA hockey championship - the Laker News - Pat Healey

FALL RIVER: The Bedford Basin Armada are U-16 AAA league champions, thanks to key contributions from four Fall River area players, including their star goaltender.

The Armada defeated Saint John Knights 3-0 in the final at the RBC Centre in Dartmouth over the Easter weekend.

The Armada were third in the league championship playoff with a 2-1-1 (won-loss-tied) record in four games played during round robin play.

In the playoffs they were 2-0 to win the title.

In the first game of the league championship, they defeated the Voyageurs HC 5-2 led by a hat trick from Noah MacCallum-Stokes.

Single tallies came from Schafer Gibbs and Luc Pineau.

Payson Stewart stopped 31 of 33 shots he faced for the victory in goal.

The Armada fired 24 shots on the Voyageurs net, who pressured in the third outshooting the winners 12-4 in the period.

In the championship final, it was Stewart who stole the show stopping all 24 shots directed at him as the Armada used special teams and hard work to pick up the 3-0 victory.

Sam Cowan on the power play was credited with what would be the eventual game winner in the first period.

Schafer Gibbs, with a shorthanded tally, and Wellington’s Rylan Millett with a third period power-play goal also scored for the winners.

Stewart, from Fall River, had a stellar 6-0-1 Record; with a .928 save percentage and 1.64 goals against average to be named Playoff MVP.

Millett, Stewart, Andrew Sinclair of Fall River, and affiliate player goalie Ryan Donovan are the local players on the team.

Alex Feltmate of Fall River is head coach, and Daniel MacKenzie, also from Fall River, is Assistant GM/Equipment Manager.