The opening day of the 2026 Esso Cup, Canada's U-18 club national championships in in the books in Dieppe, New Brunswick. Here's a look at the action.
The 2026 Esso Cup got underway in Dieppe, New Brunswick with the host Moncton Rockets, Ontario's Stoney Creek Sabres, and Alberta's Red Deer Chiefs earning wins.
Sabres Shutout Winnpieg
Netminder Madeline Weir made 35 saves for Stoney Creek to earn the opening game shutout for the Sabres. Ivy Johnston scored the lone goal of the game for Stoney Creek as they defeated the Winnipeg Ice 1-0.
“Our team played very well. Winnipeg offered us every different type of situation, every look, and our girls stuck with it," said Stoney Creek head coach Scott Elliott. "They did a great job with the six-on-three at the end, but as a team we stuck to our system and today it worked. We watched some video on Winnipeg and tried to pinpoint areas we thought we could capitalize. We also implemented a couple of new systems prior to coming to the Esso Cup and that allowed us to make some in game adjustments to match their adjustments.”
Red Deer Triples Up As de Québec
Red Deer had a strong opening game offensively with Violet Green, Kendall Hammer, and Jensyn Stephenson each recording a goal and an assist in their 6-2 win over As de Québec. Reece Lacina, Addison Shaw, and Macy Morrison rounded out the scoring for the Pacific region champions.
Ann-Sophie Côté scored both goals for Québec.
“Coming off the long day of travel yesterday, it was good to get in a short practice to get a feel for the rink and get used to a new place. It is easy dealing with our emotions; we have a great coach who believes in us and we believe in ourselves too. It’s been quite a journey to get here, but we just play another game because we’ve been through these types of games before,” said Red Deer forward Jensyn Stephenson.
Hosts Defeated East Coast Rivals
The host Moncton Rockets defeated their east coast rivals, the Northern Selects 4-3. Rockets' Zoe Allain scored the game-winning goal with only 2:59 left in the game. Anabelle Daniel and Thea MacFayden added a goal and assist each for the Rockets, with Lauren Ward scoring the other.
Syracuse commit Hali-Rose MacLean had a goal and an assist for the Northern Selects, who also had goals from Carrie Doiron, and Shawnn Richards.
“It was a tough game, but we have been through this at times this season," said Moncton head coach Pierre Nadeau. "This is the third game [between the teams in the last three weeks], so we know they never quit. Tonight it was a pretty unreal experience for us as coaches, and the girls. I cannot wait for tomorrow to keep it rolling. I know it’s not going to be easy, but I think the girls—with what they experienced tonight they’ll be ready for tomorrow.”