The Jr. Rustlers seized control early and never looked back, using a dominant power play to secure a 4-1 victory over the Calgary Glaciers. The tone was set in a chaotic first period where the Glaciers found themselves in significant penalty trouble. Just over three minutes in, a boarding call against the Glaciers' Hayley Durtnall gave the Rustlers their first man-advantage, and they capitalized at the 10:51 mark. Harper Clark, wearing number 77, buried the puck with assists from Maya Macnab and Tessa Weber. The situation worsened for Calgary less than two minutes later when a major penalty put them down two players. The Rustlers' power play struck again quickly, as Tana Brander, number 3, fired one home with helpers from Macnab and Raya Babey to make it 2-0, a goal that would stand as the game-winner. The Rustlers' offensive pressure was relentless, outshooting the Glaciers 14-5 in the opening frame, while their penalty kill successfully navigated a late hooking minor against Bentley Baier.
The middle period saw the Rustlers continue to dictate play, adding another 16 shots to their total. While no goals were scored, the physicality and chippiness escalated, culminating in a pair of roughing minors at the end of the period exchanged between the Glaciers' Lilly Redmond and the Rustlers' Tessa Weber. The Rustlers' defensive structure and goaltending held firm, with Allie Hillis turning away all six shots she faced in the period. The third period opened with the Rustlers extending their lead on yet another power play. Just 1:14 into the frame, Hailey Peters, number 15, found the back of the net, assisted by Raya Babey, pushing the lead to 3-0. The Glaciers finally broke through Hillis's shutout bid with a short-handed effort late in the game. At the 1:48 mark, Hana Chalupova scored for Calgary, assisted by Ellie Meunier, to make it 3-1. Any hope of a comeback was extinguished just 17 seconds later, however, as the Rustlers answered right back on the same power play. Addison Boulianne, number 8, restored the three-goal cushion with an unassisted tally to seal the 4-1 final.
The story of the game was written on the special teams sheet. The Jr. Rustlers' power play was a lethal 3-for-8, while their penalty kill was nearly perfect, surrendering only the late short-handed goal. Goaltender Allie Hillis earned the win with a solid 23-save performance, backed by a defense that limited high-danger chances for much of the night. For the Calgary Glaciers, discipline was their undoing, as they racked up 21 penalty minutes, including a major, which allowed the Rustlers to build an insurmountable early lead. Alexandra Seminuk faced a barrage of 39 shots in the loss for the Glaciers, who showed a late push with 13 third-period shots but ultimately could not overcome their early deficit and penalty woes.
