ST. PAUL – The St. Paul Canadiens, ranked first in the North Eastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League, kicked off the playoffs with a strong performance against the Onion Lake Border Chiefs, winning their first bout with a decisive 6-0 victory.
Jarett Boulianne opened the scoring eight minutes into the game, with assists from Kolby Miller and Kaden Bolter. Kelton McAuley swiftly added to the tally, with Kohlsin Bear providing the assist.
The Border Chiefs held back the Canadiens, until Brennen Riopel, with help from Damian Langevin-Whitford and Jacob Leroux, pierced their defenses again. Riopel found the back of the net with three minutes left in the first period.
Moving into the second period with a three-point lead, both teams were in a deadlock, with neither team able to score. But with less than a minute left off the clock, McAuley netted his second goal with the assistance of Rylan Cardinal, extending the lead 4-0.
Kaden Cardinal once again extended the lead just less than a minute into the last period with assists from Bolter and Parker Sabatier. The Canadiens prevented any attempts by the opposing team to score.
Quinn Szpak nailed the Canadiens' final score with less than a minute left in the third period, assisted by William Chemago and Bear, ending the game with 6-0 victory.
The playoffs will continue on Feb. 17 with the Canadiens once again hosting the Border Chiefs at the Clancy Richard arena.
