CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – For the sixth time, Ontario has won men’s hockey gold at the Canada Winter Games, besting Saskatchewan 3-2 in a double overtime thriller in the gold medal game at the Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown on Saturday night.

The win marks the 11th men’s hockey medal overall for Ontario at the Canada Winter Games, including its sixth gold (1971, 1983, 1991, 2007, 2015, 2023). It was a silver medallist twice (1987, 2019) and won bronze three times (1967, 1979, 2003). Saskatchewan won its first silver medal and second overall medal, having won gold in 1995.

Matthew Schaefer (Hamilton, Ont./Halton, OMHA-SCTA) scored the golden goal 7:59 into the second extra frame, redirecting a pass through the legs of Saskatchewan goaltender Logan Edmonstone (Saskatoon, Sask./Saskatoon Contacts, SMAAAHL).

“We will look back and be able to say we were the best team in Canada. This was one of the biggest games I have ever played in,” Schaefer said. “We were down two goals but did not hold our heads down; we kept fighting through and found a way to win. I am sad that the [Canada Winter Games] is over, but it was an awesome experience while it lasted.”

Saskatchewan jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, as Kash Andresen (Saskatoon, Sask./Saskatoon Blazers, SMAAAHL) and Cole Reschny (Macklin, Sask./Saskatoon Blazers, SMAAAHL) found the back of the net.

Ryan Roobroeck (London, Ont./London, MHAO) cut Ontario’s deficit in half midway through the third period before Quinn Beauchesne (Ottawa, Ont./Nepean, HEO) tied the game at 2-2 on the powerplay 51 seconds later.

Edmonstone and Ontario netminder Jack Ivankovic (Mississauga, Ont./Mississauga Senators, GTHL) turned in stellar performances, stopping 27 and 20 shots, respectively, in regulation and making key saves in overtime.

Quebec defeats British Columbia 7-3 to earn bronze

Earlier in the day, Quebec rebounded after a hard-fought 4-3 loss to Saskatchewan in the semifinals to win the bronze medal, downing British Columbia 7-3 at Credit Union Place in Summerside. The win gives Quebec its sixth bronze medal (1971, 1975, 1979, 1983, 1995, 2023) in men’s hockey at the event, along with two gold (1987, 2019) and three silver (1999, 2003, 2011).

Shawn Carrier (Trois-Rivières, Que./Trois-Rivières, LDHM18AAAQ) and Nathan Lecompte (Châteauguay, Que./Châteauguay, LDHM18AAAQ) contributed two goals apiece to lead the offence for Quebec, while Olivier Lampron (Mirabel, Que./Saint-Eustache, LDHM18AAAQ) chipped in with four assists.

Quebec goaltender William Lacelle (Baie-d’Urfé, Que./Lac St-Louis, LDHM18AAAQ) made 38 saves, including a stop on a first-period penalty shot, to help Québec win its 11th medal overall in men’s hockey at the event.

“We showed character tonight and we came out with the bronze [medal]. I am proud of the boys and proud of myself,” Lacelle said. “I practice a lot of penalty shots at home, so I was ready for [the penalty shot in the first period]. I have had so much fun on [Prince Edward Island] and getting the chance to play tonight and show my ability was a great feeling.”

For more information on men’s hockey at the 2023 Canada Winter Games, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along via social media on Twitter.

Forty-eight officials – 24 referees and 24 linespersons – from all 10 provinces have been selected for the Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island. The men’s tournament will take place Feb. 19-25, followed by the women’s tournament from Feb. 27-March 3.

“The officials who have been selected for the Canada Winter Games should be very proud of this accomplishment,” said Dan Hanoomansingh, manager of officiating with Hockey Canada. “While it only occurs every four years, this is an important development event for our high-performance officials. If you look at many of our current top officials, they were successful at past Canada Winter Games tournaments. We have similarly high expectations for this crop of officials and are excited to see them perform on the ice.”

Officials selected for the Canada Winter Games are part of the Officiating Program of Excellence (OPOE) and attended regional camps across the country prior to their selection. This is the first season of the Women’s OPOE, presented by the Hockey Canada Foundation, which allows officials to receive mentorship and coaching prior to the final selections.

Gabrielle Ariano-Lortie (Laval, Que.), Corey Hayne (Antigonish, N.S.) and Vanessa Stratton (Windsor, Ont.) will join Hanoomansingh as officiating coaches.

All selected officials are leaders in their Member leagues and high-performance programs, and being selected for Canada Winter Games is not only an accomplishment for the official, but also a credit to their Member and local development programs.

“Our program is for anyone who is interested in officiating, from the grassroots to the international game,” says Hanoomansingh. “Hockey Canada's 13 Members provide a path for anyone to participate in officiating, develop a love for the game and achieve their goals.

Officials are integral to the game, enforcing the standard of safe and fair play in arenas from coast to coast to coast. No matter what the level, without officials, there is no game.”

For more information about the Hockey Canada Officiating Program, visit HockeyCanada.ca/Officials.

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – For the fifth time, Ontario has won the men’s hockey gold medal at the Canada Winter Games, beating Alberta 3-1 in Sunday afternoon’s gold medal game at the CN Centre.

It’s the eighth medal ever at the Canada Winter Games for Ontario, which also won gold in 1971, 1983, 1991 and 2007. It was silver medallist in 1987, and won bronze in 1967 and 2003. Alberta won its fourth silver medal, joining 1971, 1991 and 1995.

On Sunday, Ryan McLeod opened the scoring eight minutes into the second period, and Nick Suzuki and Zachary Gallant added goals seven minutes apart in the third to give Ontario all the offence it would need. Zane Franklin ended Michael DiPietro’s shutout bid with just two seconds left for the lone Alberta goal.

DiPietro finished with 29 saves in the Ontario goal, while Ian Scott made 33 stops for Alberta.

On Saturday, Hayden Ostir finished his hat trick with two goals in the third period, Leif Mattson scored the game-winner with 10:54 to go and Manitoba won the bronze medal with a 5-3 win over Quebec. Logan Christensen had the other goal for Manitoba, and Matthew Radomsky needed to make just 15 saves.

It’s the second bronze medal for Manitoba, joining 1991, and third medal overall; it won silver in 2007.

The men’s hockey tournament at the 2015 Canada Winter Games brought together the top players from across Canada’s provinces and territories born in 1999 or later.

For more information on men’s hockey at the 2015 Canada Winter Games, please visit http://www.hockeycanada.ca/cwgm, or follow along via social media at https://twitter.com/canadagames by using the official hashtag #CGHockey.

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – The stage is set for the gold medal game in men’s hockey at the 2015 Canada Winter Games. Alberta and Ontario earned semifinal victories on Friday, and will meet Sunday at the CN Centre.

The gold medal game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT and can be seen live on TSN5 and RDS.

Alberta topped Manitoba 3-1 in Friday’s early semifinal, while Ontario came from behind to beat Quebec 5-2 in the late game.

Sunday will mark the eighth time Alberta will play in the gold medal game, while Ontario will make its sixth appearance. Alberta and Ontario have met in the final on two previous occasions, with Ontario earning victories in 1971 in Saskatoon, Sask., and 1991 in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Overall, Alberta (1967, 1975, 1999, 2003) and Ontario (1971, 1983, 1991, 2007) have combined to win eight of the 12 gold medals awarded in men’s hockey since the first Canada Winter Games in 1967.

In Friday’s early semifinal, Kobe Mohr scored in the first period, Ethan McIndoe got the game-winner in the second and Josh Paterson added insurance in the third – all on the power play – to lead Alberta to its fifth win in as many tries. Ian Scott finished with 32 saves to pick up his fourth win of the tournament in the Alberta goal.

In the second semifinal, Gabriel Vilardi scored twice in the second period to erase a 2-0 Quebec lead, and Ben Jones, Ryan McLeod and Brett Neumann had goals in the third as Ontario scored five times unanswered to remain undefeated in five games. Michael DiPietro had 29 saves for Ontario, which outshot Quebec 33-31.

Manitoba and Quebec will meet in the bronze medal game on Saturday night at the CN Centre. The game can be seen live via webcast at www.sportscanada.tv, beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Esther Madziya, Hockey Canada’s coordinator of media relations, is on site in Prince George for men’s hockey at the 2015 Canada Winter Games. Please contact her for any interview requests at (403) 519-5754 or emadziya@hockeycanada.ca.

Men’s hockey at the 2015 Canada Winter Games brings together the top players from across Canada born in 1999 or later.

For more information on men’s hockey at the 2015 Canada Winter Games, please visit http://www.hockeycanada.ca/cwgm, or follow along via social media at https://twitter.com/canadagames by using the official men’s hockey hashtag #CGHockey.

Call it another success for the Program of Excellence, and Canada’s regional and provincial under-17 programs. The 22-player National Junior Team roster announced on Wednesday includes 17 players with under-17 experience, either from the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge or the Canada Winter Games, which in past seasons replaced the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge every four years.

Six players on the roster played at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, while 15 took to the ice at the Canada Winter Games. Four players (Adam, Cormier, Cowen, Schenn) played at both events.

WORLD UNDER-17 HOCKEY CHALLENGE

Luke Adam – Atlantic (2006)

Patrice Cormier – Atlantic (2006)

Jared Cowen – West (2008)

Ryan Ellis – Ontario (2008)

Taylor Hall – Ontario (2008)

Brayden Schenn – West (2008)

CANADA WINTER GAMES (all played in 2007)

Luke Adam – Newfoundland & Labrador

Jake Allen – New Brunswick

Jordan Caron – Quebec

Patrice Cormier – Quebec

Jared Cowen – Saskatchewan

Stefan Della Rovere – Ontario

Jordan Eberle – Alberta

Travis Hamonic – Manitoba

Adam Henrique – Ontario

Martin Jones – British Columbia

Nazem Kadri – Ontario

Brandon McMillan – British Columbia

Alex Pietrangelo – Ontario

Brayden Schenn – Saskatchewan

Colten Teubert – British Columbia