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On Tuesday, March 18th, the Korah Colts, the 2025 regular season and city champions of the Sault Ste. Marie High School Hockey League, began their provincial quest at the OFSAA ‘AA’ Hockey Championships in Sudbury, Ontario. Ranked seventh in the tournament and representing NOSSA, the Colts faced off against the twelfth-seeded St. Mary’s Crusaders of Hamilton, Ontario, in a thrilling opening-round matchup.
The Colts struck first when Koen Manchulenko found the back of the net behind Crusaders goaltender Grayson Archer at 10:51 of the second period. Tyler Lang provided the lone assist on the opening goal, giving Korah a 1-0 lead. However, just 40 seconds before the midway mark of the period, St. Mary’s responded as Caden Okis scored unassisted to tie the game 1-1.
The Crusaders seized momentum with a shorthanded goal at 9:13, courtesy of Bennett Archer, with assists from Lucas Hall and Luke Muldoon, putting them ahead 2-1. Korah quickly answered on the power play, as Lang notched his second point of the game by scoring the equalizer at 8:53, assisted by Maxim Battochio and Manchulenko.
St. Mary’s regained the lead at 5:55 when Cam Grant scored unassisted to put the Crusaders up 3-2. The back-and-forth battle continued when Ethan Ferguson tied the game 3-3 for the Colts on a power play at 2:18, assisted by Preston Miller. Just twelve seconds later, Sam Caruso fired home Korah’s fourth goal, giving the Colts their first lead of the game at 2:06. Ferguson and Miller contributed assists on Caruso’s power-play tally.
The Crusaders refused to back down, tying the game once again at 11:23 of the third period when Carter Buchanan scored unassisted to bring the score to 4-4. However, the Colts had the final say as Caruso netted his second goal of the game at 7:25, securing a dramatic 5-4 victory for Korah. Deago Campagna and Miller picked up the assists on the game-winner.
With the win, the (1-0) Korah Colts will now face the (0-1) fourteenth-ranked Patrick Fogarty Flames of Orillia in their second game of the championships. Puck drop is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday in Sudbury as the Colts look to build on their strong start and continue their push for provincial glory.
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