Battochio’s Game Winner Forces Game Five with Dramatic Game Four Win Over Huskies -

Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos

With the CASS Huskies holding a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five 2025 Sault Ste. Marie High School Hockey League Championship series, the pressure was on the Korah Colts to stay alive and force a deciding Game Five. On Wednesday, February 26th, the Huskies faced the Colts at the John Rhodes Centre, where Korah was fighting for their playoff lives, knowing that a loss would end their season.

The Colts came out strong in the opening period, taking an early lead at 10:41. Samuel Caruso found the back of the net behind Huskies’ goaltender Cash Rowswell to give Korah a 1-0 advantage. Deago Campagna and Preston Miller were credited with the assists on Caruso’s first goal of the postseason.

The Huskies responded in the second period, with Tyler Quenneville finding the equalizer for CASS at 10:25. Quenneville’s unassisted goal tied the game at 1-1, keeping the Huskies alive and in the hunt for a series-clinching win.

At 8:20 of the second period, it was the Huskies’ postseason leader, Brody Kleist, who put CASS ahead. Kleist fired his eighth goal of the playoffs, assisted by Mika Chong, giving the Huskies a 2-1 lead. But Kleist wasn’t done yet. In the third period, he extended CASS’s lead to 3-1 with another unassisted goal at 13:57, putting the Huskies in a strong position to take the series lead.

Korah, however, wasn’t going down without a fight. Just 8 seconds after Kleist’s goal, Korah’s Griffin Albert rifled a shot into the top corner of Rowswell’s net at 14:05 to cut the Huskies’ lead to 3-2. Ethan Ferguson picked up the lone assist on Albert’s second of the postseason, bringing renewed energy to the Colts.

Then, just 46 seconds later, Korah’s Donny Hernden tied the game 3-3 with a powerful shot past Rowswell. Hernden’s first goal of the playoffs was assisted by none other than Albert, who had already made his mark on the game. With the game now knotted at three, the momentum shifted in favor of the Colts.

In a dramatic finish, Korah found their game-winner in the third period. Maxim Battochio scored the decisive goal at 2:49, lifting the Colts to a 4-3 victory and forcing the series to a decisive Game Five. Battochio’s second goal of the playoffs came with assists from Ethan Ferguson and Tyler Lang, ensuring that Korah would live to fight another day.

With the series now tied at 2-2, the stage is set for a thrilling Game Five. The 2025 Sault Ste. Marie High School Hockey League city championship will be decided on Thursday, February 27th, at 3:30 p.m. at the John Rhodes Centre. Game Five promises to be a high-stakes showdown, and fans can catch all the action live on Saultsports TV and True North Radio.

The Huskies and Colts are now just one game away from claiming the championship, with the entire season boiling down to one final game and a chance to punch their ticket to the 2025 AA/AAA NOSSA Championships in North Bay, Ontario.