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Calgary Canucks Close Out Special Season

By Mackenzie Grafton

The Calgary Canucks season has ended after finishing in the final four among all teams in Canada. Despite placing in the top 14 in the CJHL rankings in October, the Canucks went on to win their tenth AJHL championship. They exceeded expectations by reaching the semifinals at the 2024 Centennial Cup in Oakville, Ontario.

After losing the opening game 5-4 in a close battle against the eventual Centennial Cup-winning Collingwood Blues, the Canucks won three straight games, securing their spot in the Centennial Cup playoffs. Calgary responded with a 5-1 victory over the Collège Français de Longueuil and a narrow 3-2 win over the Greater Sudbury Cubs. In their final game of pool play, the Canucks staged a comeback from a 3-1 deficit against the Navan Grads, ultimately winning 4-3 in a shootout. This placed them second in group A with a 3-1 record.

In the quarterfinals, the Canucks faced the Winkler Flyers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. The Canucks took a 1-0 lead with a goal from Gavin Schmidt with two seconds left in the first period. In the second period, Ty Hipkin scored a shorthanded goal to put the Canucks up 2-0. The Flyers then scored two goals to tie the game 2-2 heading into the third period. The Canucks regained the lead with a powerplay goal from Chris Kobelka, making it 3-2, followed by a goal from Matthew Paszkiewicz. The Canucks won 4-2 against Winkler and advanced to face the Melfort Mustangs in the Semifinals.

The Canucks were in a tight matchup with the Melfort Mustangs of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in the semifinals. The Mustangs took a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal in the first period, but the Canucks tied the game with a goal from Ty Hipkin. The Mustangs scored again in the second period, making it 2-1, and would lock it down to secure the win. This forced the Canucks to head home and end their run at the 2024 Centennial Cup.

Despite the loss, a couple of Canucks were major award winners:

CENTENNIAL CUP AWARD WINNERS

Most Valuable Player: #16 Julien Gervais

Julien Gervais finished the national championships, scoring three goals and 12 points. He tied for first in points among all skaters in Oakville and finished first with nine assists.

Most Sportsmanlike: #13 Riley Hearn

Riley Hearn picked up a goal in Oakville and led his team to the semifinal appearance.

BATTLE OF ALBERTA: AN EVENING WITH LEGENDS

The Calgary Canucks have also announced the return of Battle of Alberta: An Evening with Legends, which will be held on Thursday, September 26, 2024.

The hockey club hosts two legendary icons of the National Hockey League’s Battle of Alberta – Mike Vernon of the Calgary Flames and Grant Fuhr of the Edmonton Oilers – as they relive a landmark rivalry in Canadian sports history on the site where it was born. The Battle of Alberta became a tectonic clash between the Flames and the Oilers in the 1980s that forged legacies and created hockey heroes.

The AJHL Champions are excited to showcase the new BMO Centre Expansion in Calgary Stampede Park and are proud to announce that the event will be held in the illustrious Champions Ballroom and hosted by TSN broadcaster Gord Miller.

The Calgary Canucks continue to support and partner with the Sport for Calgary Foundation as a charitable partner and beneficiary of the Battle of Alberta: An Evening with Legends fundraising event. The Sport for Calgary Foundation’s mandate is to bring sport into the reach of all Calgarians regardless of their background, ability, or income. 

“We are delighted to present An Evening with Legends, bringing another exclusive hockey experience to Calgarians with an event that celebrates the timeless allure and enduring legacy of icons who have shaped our Alberta hockey history,” said Joy Tamke, Calgary Canucks Chair, Community, Events & Fundraising.

“Through this gala, we gather to celebrate Alberta Junior hockey roots and enjoy an evening benefiting sport in Alberta and right here in Calgary.”

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