The Morden Thunder, Prairie Mountain Mustangs, and Morris Mavericks all won their final games of 2016 Thursday afternoon.


Thunder 3 NPC 1

Spencer Norrie scored a pair of power play goals to help propel the defending Zone 4 High School Hockey League champion Morden Thunder to a 3-1 win over the Northlands Parkway Collegiate Nighthawks.

"Tanner (Wiebe) found me both times perfectly, and I didn't have to move my stick. It was a perfect play. We talked about it in the dressing room, and it was coordinated."

Evan Wuerch got the games first goal just 30 seconds into the game, as he busted down the right side wall and placed a perfect shot over the short side shoulder of NPC netminder Griffin Dyck. Lucas Dyck scored the lone goal for Northlands Parkway in the first to tie the game at one. Later in the period the Nighthawks ran into a bit of penalty trouble and the Thunder were able to strike twice with the man advantage. Norrie and Wiebe were in on both power play markers. It was a slap pass from the point, which Norrie was able to deflect in from beside the net. 

Both teams traded chances in the second and third, but neither was able to find the back of the net.

Owen Domitruk turned aside 27 of 28 shots he faced while Griffin Dyck was spectacular making 50 saves.

"I just tried to keep my team in the game and give them chances," said Dyck. "I think I played well. You can't stop them all, but it is what it is."


Mustangs 9 Tigers 3

Reece Gates recorded a hat trick as the Prairie Mountain Mustangs dumped the Pembina Tigers 9-3.

Gates scored his first goal in the opening period and Christian Chevalier also tallied for the Mustangs. Ethan Carels had the lone goal for the Tigers in the opening period. 

Gates would complete the hat trick in the second period, and Svan Bazin would add to the Prairie Mountain lead in the middle frame. Pembina cut into Prairie Mountain's lead as Brennan Smith and Quentin Cobb scored. 

The Mustangs put the game away in the third period thanks to a pair of goals from Tom Chanel and singles off the sticks of Bazin and Keenan Mangin.

Tigers goaltender Tanner Harms allowed all nine goals on 37 shots. Prairie Mountain netminder Christopher Lesage turned away 33 of the 36 shots he faced.


Mavericks 6 Aces 5

The Morris Mavericks put a halt to the Miller Aces six-game winning streak Thursday afternoon. Christian Avelar scored three times as Morris defeated Miller 6-5.

It was a fast start that helped the Mavericks as they scored four times before the game was even ten minutes old. Avelar recorded two goals in the opening ten minutes, while Jordan Keck and Cole Holdnick also tallied in the opening half of the first. After Morris jumped out to that 4-0 lead, Tommy Wolfe scored his first of two on the afternoon to bring his team within three. Before the period was over Keck restored Morris' four goal cushion. 

The second period belonged to the Aces as Bryson Loewen and Matt Fehr beat Mavericks goaltender Ryan Coulombe, who made 24 saves to get the win, and Avelar completed the hat trick to make it 6-3. 

Loewen made it 6-4 with 2:32 left in the final period, and Wolfe potted his second of the game with just under a minute to play to get the Aces within one. 

Declan Enns got the start in net for Miller and was relived of his duties after allowing four goals on four shots in the opening six minutes, and Ryan Geirnaert finished the game and made 25 saves on 27 shots.