After what coach Steve Reid calls a perfect season, Queenstown’s under-18 Junior Stampede can now call themselves New Zealand champions.
It is the first time since 2017 the Jr Stampedes won the New Zealand U18 Ice Hockey League title.
The tyros decimated their opponents in Dunedin during the last round of the regular season, beating Auckland 5-2 last Saturday morning, Canterbury 6-2 last Sunday morning and Auckland 5-2 on Sunday night, then took apart the Jr Thunder 9-1 in their semifinal on Monday.
On Tuesday morning, they fought back after being down 2-1 at the end of the first period to slot three goals in the second including back-to-back goals from Katsuto Ikai and then hammered another three unanswered goals home in less than five minutes at the end of the third period, to take the win, and the gold medal, 7-3.
Other goal scorers in the final were Jake Hutchings and Tristan Walker, both of whom scored twice in the final, and Otis Haysmith.
An "extremely proud" Reid says the weekend’s results mean the Jr Stampede went through the 2025 season unbeaten. Oliver Carian was named league MVP, Blake Campbell was named league top defenceman and Noah Reid the league’s top goalie. Jake was named team MVP.
Following the win, Reid says the boys were treated to a couple of bottles of non-alcoholic fizz after the game.
"We went out into the carpark and they got to spray some grape juice," he laughs. "But the guys were pretty ecstatic."
TRACEY ROXBURGH
