MAPLE RIDGE, B.C. – Prior to the start of the Stonehouse Cup Finals, the British Columbia Hockey Conference (BCHC) and Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL) announced that seven teams were approved to ascend to Junior A Tier 1 status for the 2025-26 season and beyond. Among that lucky number were both teams competing in the league’s finals, the Tom Shaw Conference champion Delta Ice Hawks and Harold Brittain Conference winners and regular season champion Ridge Meadows Flames.
Bolstered by their elevated status, the two squads stepped directly into a rematch of the 2023 Stonehouse Cup Finals, a series won by Delta in thrilling fashion via 4-3 overtime win in Game 7. Ridge Meadows, making their third consecutive finals appearance, was eager to commence with their title defense.
First Period
Delta gave the nod to veteran goaltender Merik Erickson, who guided the Ice Hawks to victory back in 2023. Across the way, Ridge Meadows goalie Matthew Candusso assumed his usual position. The two netminders, no strangers to winning, began their duel.
The two teams approached the first frame tentatively, with each side feeling things out and not giving up any ground. The game’s first penalty went against Delta, with defenceman Dylan Stafford given a hooking minor with under seven minutes left to play in the period.
Ridge Meadows defender Matthew Wise made his way to the sin bin, assessed a delay of game call about 90 seconds after Stafford’s penalty expired. However, Delta took themselves off of the power play over a minute later, as Danylo Bereza took a high-sticking penalty.
The Ice Hawks and Flames left the ice at even strength, tied at no score after twenty minutes. Delta recorded 14 shots on Candusso, while Ridge had 12 shots against Erickson.
Second Period
The scoreless deadlock finally ended as Hawks forward Mateo Sjoberg broke through for his eighth postseason goal, assisted by Nick Goyer and Bereza.
Emboldened, the Hawks seized upon an opportunity to double their lead and keep the Flames at bay. Delta forward Brogan Kennedy put away his second goal of the playoffs, assisted by former Flame Evan Fedele, and Goyer.
The Flames got their special teams onto the ice with Delta defenceman Jonathan Soares dispatched to the box for tripping, providing the opportunity for Ridge Meadows forward Theo Kochan to get his club on the board and cut the deficit to one. Kochan, assisted by Nolan Bowsher, quickly changed the complexion of the game and rallied his team back into the contest.
Hawks forward Grady Lenton, nominally a major factor on the scoresheet, took a game misconduct late in the second period.
Just 21 seconds later, and with Lenton out of the game, Delta forward Beckett Cross stepped up to the plate and scored his fourth playoff goal with help from Kennedy to hoist his squad back to a two-goal lead.
Flames forward Jonah Power Smith skated off in the twilight of the middle frame, catching a tripping call to put the Hawks back to the power play.
Up by a score of 3-1 after 40 minutes, the Delta Ice Hawks mustered three goals on 15 shots against Candusso during the second period, while the burgeoning Flames converted one goal off of 16 shots on Erickson.
Third Period
In true do-or-die fashion, the third period marked the awakening of the Ridge Meadows Flames offensive machine. Flames blue-liner and captain Lukas Ravenstein scored a seismic goal at the halfway point of the third, assisted by Pierce Whyte.
Just a few minutes later, it was Ravenstein again to tie the game and turn up the heat on the Ice Hawks, with Kochan and Bowsher collecting the apples on the tying 3-3 goal.
Delta got one final chance with the man advantage a minute and a half after Ravenstein’s second goal of the game, as Whyte headed off for high-sticking, but they were unable to cash in and break the tie.
As the buzzer sounded on regulation, the Ice Hawks had shelled Candusso with 17 shots in the third period for a total of 46 in the game thusfar. The Flames, while only peppering Erickson with nine shots in the final frame of regulation time to total 37 at large, collected two goals to force overtime.
Overtime (10 minutes)
It took nearly the entirety of the 10-minute first overtime period for the game to reach its conclusion. As the chances went back-and-forth, Delta looked as though they had the jump needed as Kennedy carried the puck into the Flames zone with numbers, only to battle Ravenstein in the corner. Dawson Toledo attempted a centering pass, and the puck went from Candusso over to Flames forward Zack Lagrange. Heading up the other way, Lagrange found Bowsher who advanced the puck to Tyler Blatz. Erickson stopped Blatz’ blast, but the rebound quickly found Kochan who buried the game-winner. The Ridge Meadows Flames claimed victory in the opening game of the Stonehouse Cup Finals, a 4-3 overtime victory.
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NOTABLE NOTES
• Stepping into the Delta Ice Hawks lineup was affiliate Alexander Laing, wearing jersey number 16. The 2009-born forward from Langley notched 11 goals and 21 assists for 32 points in 33 games for the Delta Hockey Academy, and made one appearance with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans. In one regular season game for the Ice Hawks, Laing went off for a goal and two assists against Port Moody, and added a playoff apple against Port Coquitlam back on February 27th.
• The Ridge Meadows Flames called upon an affiliate of their own, Callum McSherry sporting jersey number 10. The 2007-born forward from Coquitlam put up a stat line of 20-38-58 in 36 games for the BCEHL’s Vancouver North East Chiefs this season, playing alongside Hawks affiliate defenceman Alexander Savoy.
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THREE STARS
• Delta Ice Hawks forward Brogan Kennedy propelled his team onwards, doubling the Hawks’ lead in the second period with a timely tally and assisting on Beckett Cross‘ goal later in the period to regain the two-goal advantage. Kennedy earned third-star accolades in the road loss.
• Ridge Meadows Flames defenceman and captain Lukas Ravenstein spurred his team’s comeback effort, scoring a pair of massive goals to tie the game at 3-all and eventually force overtime. Ravenstein, committed to ACHA’s Drury University, came away with second-star honours.
• Ridge Meadows Flames forward Theo Kochan got his team on the board in the second period, assisted on Ravenstein’s game-tying marker, and called game in overtime to secure victory on home ice. Kochan, the hometown hero and graduating forward, received first-star distinctions.
Not to be forgotten, both goalies were a massive part of the grand tapestry of Game 1. Hawks tendy Merik Erickson made 41 stops on 45 shots, while Flames keeper Matthew Candusso turned aside 49 of Delta’s 52 shots.
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STONEHOUSE CUP PLAYOFF SERIES SCHEDULE
Stonehouse Cup Finals (league seeding in parenthesis)
(1) Ridge Meadows Flames vs. (3) Delta Ice Hawks
• Game 1 @ Ridge Meadows: 4-3 OTL, RM leads 1-0
• Game 2 @ Ridge Meadows: Friday, March 21st, 7:30 PM @ Cam Neely Arena
• Game 3 @ Delta: Sunday, March 23rd, 5:30 PM @ Ladner Leisure Centre
• Game 4 @ Delta: Tuesday, March 25th, 7:35 PM @ Ladner Leisure Centre
• Game 5 @ Ridge Meadows: Friday, March 28th, 7:30 PM @ Cam Neely Arena*
• Game 6 @ Delta: Sunday, March 30th, 5:30 PM @ Ladner Leisure Centre*
• Game 7 @ Ridge Meadows: Wednesday, April 2nd, 7:30 PM @ Cam Neely Arena*
* = if necessary
Tom Shaw Conference Finals (conference seeding in parenthesis)
(1) Delta Ice Hawks vs. (2) Richmond Sockeyes (a.k.a. Tunnel Series 2025)
• Game 1 @ Delta: 5-4 W, DEL leads 1-0
• Game 2 @ Richmond: 8-4 W, DEL leads 2-0
• Game 3 @ Delta: 3-2 OTW, DEL leads 3-0
• Game 4 @ Richmond: 4-2 L, DEL leads 3-1
• Game 5 @ Delta: 7-3 W, DEL wins 4-1
Tom Shaw Conference Semifinals (conference seeding in parenthesis)
(1) Delta Ice Hawks vs. (5) Port Coquitlam Trailblazers
• Game 1 @ Delta: 7-3 W, DEL leads 1-0
• Game 2 @ Port Coquitlam: 7-4 L, series tied 1-1
• Game 3 @ Port Coquitlam: 4-2 L, PC leads 2-1
• Game 4 @ Delta: 9-1 W, series tied 2-2
• Game 5 @ Delta: 5-1 W, DEL leads 3-2
• Game 6 @ Port Coquitlam: 7-1 W, DEL wins 4-2
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