MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM – Saskatchewan wins bronze in the Western Hockey League Cup.

Saskatoon’s Kayden Stroeder (Edmonton Oil Kings) scored a hat trick to lead Team Sask to an 8-5 victory over British Columbia in the third place game in Red Deer on Sunday afternoon.

The annual tournament features the best 15-year-old players born in 2009 in Western Canada, most of whom are drafted or listed by WHL clubs. Each province sends an all-star team, and the event is the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence.

Saskatchewan couldn’t have asked for a better start, as Saskatoon’s Stroeder and Cash Arcand-Vandale (Red Deer Rebels) scored the only goals of the first period to give their team a 2-0 lead early on. the first third.

BC responded in the second period, however, when Ryan Sadovia (Edmonton Oil Kings) put them on the scoreboard 2:09 into the period. Stroeder scored his second of the game just over a minute later to make it 3-1 before BC rallied to tie the game.

Cohen Williams (Moose Jaw Warriors) scored at 6:15 and Eddy Spytz (Everett Silvertips) scored BC’s third goal 2:39 later to make it 3-3.

Team Sask responded immediately, with Yorkton’s Trae Peterson (Tri-City Americans) scoring 1:04 after Spytz’s goal and Martensville’s Dade Wotherspoon (Prince George Cougars) scoring a two-goal game 53 seconds after that goal.

Carter Bylycia (Tri-City Americans) briefly brought BC within one point with 12:51 left in the period, but Saskatoon’s Jake Evans (Lethbridge Hurricanes) scored what would be the game-winning goal 1:29 into the period. s later and Stroeder completed his hat trick with 2:26 left in the frame.

Peterson then made it 8-4 at 2:08 of the third period, and Cohen Handby (Regina Pats) responded for BC late in the game with the final goal of the game.

Wotherspoon finished with a goal and four points, while Nipawin’s Blake Chorney (Vancouver Giants) had four assists. Estevan’s Boston Tait (Wenatchee Wild) and Lucky Lake’s Jake Hargrave (Kelowna Rockets) each had two assists.

Cade Mitchell of Gull Lake (Moose Jaw Warriors) opened the scoring for Saskatchewan and stopped 39 shots to earn the victory; Oscar Hicik (Portland Winterhawks) stopped 18 shots in 33:20 of work, while Cash Christie (Medicine Hat Tigers) made eight saves for the rest of the game.

Saskatchewan reached the bronze medal game after going 2-1 in the round robin, beating Alberta 5-2, losing to British Columbia 6-3 and beating the Manitoba 5-0. They then lost 9-5 to Alberta in the semi-final.