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Hawks undefeated after first two games at Mac’s tournament

Valley West beats Airdie, ties Regina at prestigious midget AAA hockey event
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Valley West Hawks forwards Cam McDonald and Caden Creasy celebrate a goal earlier this season. The Hawks are currently in Calgary, taking part in the Mac’s AAA Midget Tournament. (Garrett James photo)

The Valley West Hawks are undefeated through their first two games of the Mac’s AAA Midget Tournament in Calgary, with a third test – against the hometown Calgary Northstars – set for this evening.

The Hawks – currently in first place in the BC Major Midget League – opened the prestigious hockey showdown with a 5-3 win over the Airdrie CFR Bisons on Boxing Day, and on Wednesday earned a 3-3 tie with the Regina Pat Canadians.

In Tuesday’s win over Airdrie, it was the Alberta-based squad that got on the board first, when Bisons’ forward Luke Jensen’s shot found the back of the Hawks’ net 12:51 into the opening period, but Valley West fought back to tie the score soonafter, when Noah Taron scored an equalizing marker.

Airdrie took the lead before the first intermission, but the one-goal margin didn’t last long, as the Hawks stormed back to tie the game 2-2 when Max Mohagen scored a power-play goal just 90 seconds into the second period, which assists from Justin Sourdif and Cam MacDonald.

Airdrie’s Jake Petrie and Valley West’s Nolan Krogfoss traded goals before the second intermission, leaving the two squads deadlocked heading into the final 20 minutes of play.

In the third, however, the B.C. squad took control and scored the go-ahead goal, from Krogfoss, with less than three minutes to go in the game. An empty-netter from Dawson Penner sealed the win for the Hawks.

Like the first game, the Hawks’ second tilt, against Regina, was a back-and-forth affair. The Canadians scored first – a shorthanded goal in the game’s first minute – but Mohagen tied it up, with his second of the tournament, before the first-period buzzer.

Reece Henry put the Canadians up 2-1 with the only goal of the middle stanza, and added a third goal, on the power play, early in the third. But the Hawks’ scored two goals late with some strong special-teams play of their own – Krogfoss scored a power-play goal with 10 minutes to go, and then Josh Pederson tied the game with a shorthanded tally with just 6:14 left in the game.

Valley West will square off against Calgary tonight (Thursday) at 5:15 p.m. MST.