SAHA opens Circle K Classic with win

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on December 28, 2023.

sports@medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

The South Alberta Hockey Academy opened their bid for a third straight Circle K Classic championship with a win.

SAHA opened their round robin with a 5-2 win over the Chicago Mission.

Forward Brayden Ryan-MacKay, a 2023 WHL draft pick of the Medicine Hat Tigers, led the way offensively for the Dunmore-based academy with a hat trick.

Josh Evaschesen and Carter Cunningham each scored for SAHA as well. The local product Evaschesen added an assist to his stat line as well.

Ryan-MacKay opened the scoring in the first before Chicago answered back to make it 1-1 after 20 minutes.

The Mission grabbed a lead before Evaschesen tied it up at 2-2 through 40 minutes.

Ryan-MacKay rattled off two-straight power play goals to complete the hat trick , with Cunningham scoring in the last three minutes of the third.

Between the pipes, Marek Schlenker made 25 saves for the victory.

SAHA’s back in action Thursday against the South Kent School for a 1:15 p.m. contest. They finish their round robin against the Edmonton Oilers Jr Blue team in a 4 p.m. contest on Friday.

SAHA was the first hockey academy to win the tournament when they captured the title in 2022. Their 2023 championship win made them the first back-to-back winner since Shattuck St. Mary’s won in 1999 and 2000. Shattuck also captured a title in 2001, they are the only team to win three in a row.

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