The Korah Colts put on an offensive showcase Sunday, November 9th, at the John Rhodes Centre, skating to a commanding victory over the CASS Huskies in Sault Ste. Marie High School Hockey League action.
From the opening puck drop, the Colts controlled the pace. Deago Campagna opened the scoring midway through the first at 12:39 with his second of the season, assisted by Preston Miller and Tyler Neveau. Just three minutes later, Max Battacchio buried his first of the year from Miller and Koen Manchulenko. Manchulenko then made it 3–0 with a goal at 4:45, assisted by Tyler Lang.
CASS responded on the power play when Austin Finlayson scored his second of the season from Teagun Beaulieu and Gabe Stewart, but Korah quickly regained momentum. Campagna scored shorthanded at 3:05, followed by another short-handed marker from Manchulenko at 1:42, giving the Colts a 5–1 lead after one.
The second period was all Korah. Despite a CASS power play goal from Noah Smith at 10:49, the Colts erupted for six goals in the frame. Campagna completed his hat trick shorthanded, assisted by Kaidyn Beaird and Hayden Joseph, before Manchulenko, Battacchio, and Bodie Belair each added tallies in quick succession. Lang was the playmaker throughout the period, collecting multiple assists as Korah took full control.
In the third, the Colts continued to roll. Campagna scored his fifth of the game at 3:44, assisted by Manchulenko and Beaird, while Belair added his second of the night less than a minute later to seal the convincing win.
Goaltender Nick Pezzutto earned the win for Korah, standing strong when called upon, while Jack Unetic battled in net for the Huskies.
Korah coach Dustin Grondin told Saultsports “I think the boys were excited to get back on the ice as a group. We had grade nine Nikk Pezzutto carry the mail between the pipes for us to give Payton and Will some rest coming from NOSSA football. The boys always rally around him to try put in a good performance and support him. CASS has a really young team that showed a lot of grit and determination. I’ve seen them skate lines at the end of practice and really work hard, which I really admire. They will have some growing pains but there’s a lot of great character on that squad. As for the Colts, it’s back to work Monday at practice getting into the details that will make us successful.”
“I think it was a tough game against a very strong team, but there was still some positives to take away from the game , I think we started out strong and then fell apart in the 2nd period but came back out in the 3rd with a bit more life. We’ve got a young group that’s learning and growing every game. We were short a few guys tonight that will be nice to have back in the lineup. I think our goalie did well , he faced a ton of shots and battled for us as much as he could. These are the kind of games that help us learn, build resilience and help us get better as a group,” said CASS coach Spencer Lawrence.
The red-hot Colts will look to keep their momentum going on Wednesday, November 12th, when they face the Superior Heights Steelhawks at the John Rhodes Centre. The Huskies will aim to bounce back the same afternoon when they take on the St. Mary’s Knights at the Northern Community Centre. Both games are set for a 3:30 p.m. puck drop.
