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From Friday, April 18 to Sunday, April 20, the Soo U13AA Greyhounds proudly represented Northern Ontario at the 2025 OHF U13AA Championships in Aurora, Ontario. The Greyhounds battled through five games of intense round-robin and playoff competition against the London Jr. Knights, Quinte West Golden Hawks, Greater Toronto Capitals, and the host team, the Aurora Tigers—finishing the weekend with a well-earned silver medal.
In game one, the London Jr. Knights won 3 – 1 over the Soo Greyhounds with the Greyhounds opened the tournament against the London Jr. Knights. Maximus Maki opened the scoring unassisted at 13:50 of the first period, but London responded with three unanswered goals from Curtis Keating, Jack Reehill, and Bryce Coulas. Soo goaltender Daniel Tolin was outstanding in net, stopping 39 of 42 shots in the hard-fought 3–1 loss.
Bouncing back in their second game, the Soo dominated the host Aurora Tigers. Casen Eby, Aleks Majic, Liam Evans, and Remi Tombari each found the scoresheet, while Maximus Maki led the charge with two goals and an assist. Emmett Gillett earned the shutout, stopping all 13 shots faced in game 2 with the Greyhounds winning 6 – 0 against the Aurora Tigers.
In game three, the Soo found themselves in a back-and-forth battle against Quinte West. Down 2–0 after two Golden Hawk powerplay goals, the Greyhounds stormed back with third-period markers from Noah Jones and Maximus Maki—both on the powerplay—to earn a 2–2 tie.
Facing a tough Capitals squad to close out round-robin play, Maximus Maki tallied his fifth of the tournament on the powerplay, assisted by Eli Pagliaro. But Greater Toronto struck four times—including two from Cole Muzzin—to take a 4–1 win. That set the stage for a semifinal rematch less than 12 hours later.
In a gutsy early-morning semifinal on Sunday, the Greyhounds avenged their round-robin loss with a thrilling 3–2 win over the Capitals. Maximus Maki opened the scoring, while Liam Evans scored shorthanded to tie it 2–2 in the third. Casen Eby delivered the game-winner at 5:54, sending the Soo to the gold medal game. Daniel Tolin was stellar again, turning aside 24 of 26 shots.
In the gold medal game, the Soo once again squared off with the London Jr. Knights. Noah Jones gave the Greyhounds an early lead on the powerplay, and Maximus Maki sent the Soo into the first intermission ahead 2–1. However, London scored four of the next five goals—two of them on the powerplay—to seal a 5–3 championship win. Maki added his seventh goal of the tournament in the third, while goaltender Daniel Tolin faced 39 shots in a valiant performance.
The Soo U13AA Greyhounds finished the 2025 OHF U13AA Championships with a record of 2-2-1, securing a silver medal and making all of Northern Ontario proud. Powered by standout performances from Maximus Maki (7 goals, 3 assists), Liam Evans, Eli Pagliaro, and strong goaltending from Daniel Tolin and Emmett Gillett, the Greyhounds showed heart, skill, and determination in every game.
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