Photo by Paul Wright

Saturday night saw the 2024 Allan Cup Challenge tournament kickoff at the J.L. Grightmire Arena in Dundas, Ontario with the host Dundas Real McCoys facing off against the Southern Shore Breakers. It was a tightly contested contest that is likely an indication of the type of games we will see all week long.

It was the team from Newfoundland that opened the scoring when Travis Randell’s shot went off Ryan Dawson and fluttered over the Dundas netminder Ryan Demelo and into the back of the net just 4:20 into the game. It remained that way until late in the first when Jake Goldberg’s shot which went off A.J. Whiffen’s pad and just over the goal line to tie the game at one.

The McCoys could have left the first period of play with a lead, however Whiffen was making some big saves, including a diving save keeping the puck out of the net by an inch.

In the second, Dundas took their first lead of the contest when Brad Bonello scored 10 seconds into the team’s second power play of the game. Once again, the McCoys looked to have put the puck in the net, but Whiffen robbed the hosts of a goal. Southern Shore would also take advantage on their power play opportunities in the middle stanza as Kevin Reid tucked the puck into the net on a two-man advantage, evening the game at two.

It was back and forth in the third with the goalies for both squads keeping the puck out of the net. Just a minute into the third, Demelo made a big save as the Breakers came in on a 2-on-1. Later, near the midway point of the period, the McCoys’ Cam Fergus had a shorthanded opportunity but was denied.

It wasn’t until the 13:52 mark of the third that the deadlock was broken as Phil Brewer was sprung by Bonello on a breakaway which he converted. However, the Breakers put pressure on Dundas late in regulation as they had a man advantage with just over two minutes to go. Unfortunately for Sourthern Shore, they were not able to even up the game.

Demelo picked up the win, stopping 36 of 38 shots he faced in the McCoys net. At the other end of the ice, Whiffen took the loss making 35 saves on the night.

Players of the Game
Dundas Real McCoys – Phil Brewer (1G, 1A, GWG)
Southern Shore Breakers – Kris Hodge (1A)

Single game tickets are available at the J.L. Grightmire Arena doors on game days.

For the 2024 edition of the Allan Cup Challenge, fans can get the schedule, scores, standings and stats on GameSheet by clicking here and searching for “Allan Cup Challenge” or use the QR code located on the home page of the Allan Cup Hockey website.

Following the round robin, the first-place team will receive a bye to Saturday’s championship game at 3pm on CHCH TV.  The first-place team will take on the winner Friday night’s semi-final game between the teams that finish the round robin in second and third place. The semi-final game will be played at 7:30pm. The semi-final will be shown live in the Hamilton area on Cable 14. Both the semi-final and championship games will be streamed live online at https://cable14now.com/live-streams/.

Upcoming Games
Sunday April 21
Stoney Creek vs Innisfail – 7:30pm

Monday April 22
Innisfail vs Dundas – 7:30pm

Tuesday April 23
Southern Shore vs Stoney Creek – 7:30pm

Wednesday April 24
Southern Shore vs Innisfail – 3:00pm
Dundas vs Stoney Creek – 7:30pm

Friday April 26
Semi Final – 3rd Place vs 2nd Place – 7:30pm

Saturday April 27
Championship – SF Winner vs 1st Place – 3:00pm