The Red Deer Chiefs beat the Stoney Creek Sabres 4-3 in overtime to capture the 2026 Esso Cup, while the Northern Selects and tournament MVP Hali-Rose MacLean earned bronze.
The Red Deer Chiefs are the 2026 Esso Cup champions after defeating the Stoney Creek Sabres 4-3 in overtime in Dieppe, New Brunswick.
Jensyn Stephenson led the Esso Cup in scoring with 13 points in seven games, a mark which included the gold medal winning overtime goal, her second of the game, for Red Deer.
“Honestly, I just flashbacked to the whole season,” Stephenson said. “Everything we’ve been through and such incredible people I’ve been able to do it with, alongside 19 of my best friends I was just thinking ‘Yeah, this is it, this is our time.’”
Macy Morrison and Reece Lacina had the other Red Deer goals.
“It’s something we have been building for,” said Red Deer head coach Don Morrison. “What these girls have gone through and how they’ve come together–we’ve been on an amazing journey the last half of the season and this just capped it off in a perfect way.”
Oliva De Caria scored twice for Stoney Creek, including the go-ahead goal in the third before Red Deer came back. Ryleigh O’Brien also scored for Stoney Creek.
Northern Selects win bronze - Photo @ Mike Bernard / Hockey Canada ImagesNorthern Selects Win Bronze, Atlantic Canada's First Medal
The Northern Selects recorded the next in a growing list of accomplishments for Atlantic Canada this season winning the region's first medal at the Esso Cup, beating the host Moncton Rockets 4-0 in the bronze medal game.
Ali Chisholm scored twice and amy Field made 35 saves to guide the Northern Selects to the win. Lexi MacIntyre and Laila Burris also scored in the win.
“It’s an amazing feeling, getting to win–we did it and it feels good,” said Field. “This means so much, to know we made Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada proud and for it to be us [to be the first Atlantic team to win a medal in their fifth appearance in the last seven tournaments], it feels like it should have been us. This is an amazing group of girls and every single person in our dressing room played a part today and we couldn’t have done it without everyone.”
Hali-Rose MacLean Named MVP
Northern Selects captain Hali-Rose MacLean was named tournament MVP after she helped her team win a historic bronze medal. The Syracuse commit finished second in tournament scoring with 10 points in seven games.
Red Deer's Jensyn Stephenson led the tournament in scoring with 13 points.
Stoney Creek forward Ivy Johnston, who was third in tournament scoring, was named Top Forward. Moncton blueliner and Brown commit Audrey Poirier was named Top Defender, while Red Deer netminder Brylee Hull was Top Goaltender. As de Québec's Livia Landry was named Most Sportsmanlike Player, while Winnipeg's Talia Jones, who is committed to Université Laval, was awarded the Esso Cup Scholarship.