This championship event is hosted annually for each division by the Atlantic Hockey Group.
The Thunder led the regular season standings with a 6-0 record heading into the play-off round. In semi-final action the Southwest team doubled the Eastern Heat 6-3 to advance to the gold medal contest. Sammy Cochrane and Game MVP Keaton Keizer scored to give the Thunder an early 2-0 first period lead. The Heat evened the contest at 2-2 by the end of the second frame, despite the Thunder getting the better of the scoring chances. The effort paid off as the Thunder scored three consecutive goals early in the third from the sticks of Zachary Comeau, Cameron Barnes and Sawyer Longmire.
After the Heat narrowed the lead once again, Alex Theriault found the back of the empty net to seal the victory. Elliot Taylor picked up 2 assists, while Eric Dickie made 18 saves in goal for the winners.
The Thunder then moved on to the championship contest where they would face the Nova North Storm. Logan Comeau opened the scoring on a screened shot from the blueline, which found the back of the net far side on the unsuspecting Storm goaltender. The Nova North squad answered back early in the second period to even the score at 1-1. That was the turning point as the Thunder applied relentless pressure until they regained the lead on a goal by Sammy Cochrane.
The Thunder continued the assault on the Storm netminder and were rewarded when Cameron Barnes found the back of the net to extend their advantage to 3-1. Two more goals by Game MVP Sam Hope and a solid defensive effort was all the Thunder would need to capture the victory. Chase Perry and Russell Pinksen added two assists each, while Dominic Cottreau made 16 saves between the pipes.
This capped off a perfect 8-0 record thus far, where the team has only allowed 17 goals against. The Thunder is made up of players from Southwestern Nova Scotia ranging from Clare to Chester MHAs. The team is playing a tournament in Moncton May 12-14 and will play another one in Halifax on May 26-28.
