On November 27th and 28th, the Korah Colts travelled to North Bay to compete in the 2025 Nipissing District Athletics Hockey Tournament. Joining a strong field that included the St. Benedict Eagles, Lo-Ellen Knights, Confederation Chargers, Algonquin Barons, Scollard Hall Bears, and Chippewa Ravens, the Colts entered the event riding high with their school and a few players on their roster—less than 16 hours removed from winning the 2025 OFSAA Golden Horseshoe Bowl in Guelph.

Colts open Nipissing District Tournament with a commanding win over Ravens with their first test of round-robin action came Thursday morning against the Chippewa Ravens, and Korah wasted no time setting the tone.

In the first period, the Colts capitalized early on special teams when Tyler Lang buried his first of the tournament on the power play at 7:57, assisted by Koen Manchulenko. Just minutes later, Bodie Belair doubled the Colts’ lead at 4:27 with an unassisted marker, giving Korah a 2–0 advantage heading into the intermission.

The middle frame was all Korah as the Colts exploded offensively and dominated both ends of the ice.

At 12:45, Preston Miller extended the lead off a setup from Kaidyn Beaird and Max Battacchio. Battacchio added to the surge with a shorthanded goal at 8:11, finishing a feed from Miller.

The penalty kill stayed hot when Diego Campagna struck shorthanded at 7:05, assisted by Tyler Neveau, pushing the lead even further out of reach.

Belair added his second of the game—and second of the tournament—at 5:45, assisted by Lang.

One of the highlights of the period came at 2:45, when Koen Manchulenko, still riding momentum from the Colts’ OFSAA football championship win the night before, scored his first of the tournament. Campagna and Donny Hernden picked up assists on the play as the Colts continued to roll.

In the third period, the Colts closed out their strong opening-game performance with another unassisted goal from Belair at 5:27, giving him the hat trick to kick off tournament play.

Korah’s Will Franic stood tall between the pipes earning the shutout, backing a confident defensive effort, while Evan Chemery tended goal for the Ravens.

Game two of day one action in North Bay featured the Korah Colts lining up against the Algonquin Barons in what proved to be a disciplined, defense-first battle. The opening twenty minutes offered no scoring, but both teams generated chances, with Korah’s Will Franic and Algonquin’s Dylan McFadden standing tall to keep the game locked at 0–0 after one.

The Colts broke through in the second period, taking control of the game’s momentum. At 11:03, Diego Campagna opened the scoring with his second goal of the tournament, capitalizing unassisted to give Korah a 1–0 lead. The pressure continued to build as the Colts added to their advantage at 6:25 when Koen Manchulenko scored his second of the tournament on a setup from Bodie Belair and campagna, sending Korah into the intermission up 2–0.

Algonquin clawed back early in the third period, taking advantage of a power-play opportunity at 11:08. Kody Gaudreault found the back of the net unassisted for his first of the tournament, cutting the Colts’ lead to one and giving the Barons a spark. But Korah responded confidently, and it was Campagna once again who delivered. At 6:54, he scored his third goal of the tournament—his second unassisted marker of the game—to restore the two-goal cushion and ultimately seal a 3–1 victory for the Colts.

Franic’s steady presence in goal anchored Korah throughout the matchup, while McFadden kept Algonquin competitive with key saves at the other end.

With the win, the Colts turn their attention to their third and final game of the round robin, set for Thursday evening against the Lo-Ellen Kings.

In their final round-robin matchup at the Nipissing District Athletics Hockey Tournament, the Korah Colts faced off against the Lo-Ellen Knights in a fast-paced, offense-driven contest that saw momentum swing repeatedly before the Colts ultimately pulled away. The opening period featured a flurry of late scoring. Korah struck first at 12:03 when Diego Campagna buried his fourth goal of the tournament, set up by Bodie Belair and Preston Miller. Lo-Ellen answered with determination, tying the game at 1–1 at 1:23 on an unassisted marker from Jeremy Thall. With just four seconds remaining in the frame, the Knights grabbed the lead as Cavan Clarke scored his first of the tournament, assisted by Matti Trottier, sending Lo-Ellen into the intermission ahead 2–1.

Korah responded with a strong second period, reclaiming control of the game. At 7:13, Belair netted his fourth of the tournament off a feed from Miller to even the score. Less than a minute later, at 6:35, Koen Manchulenko put the Colts back in front with his third of the tournament, assisted by Tyler Lang and Jackson Burrows. The Colts carried a 3–2 lead into the final period and never looked back.

The third period became a showcase of Korah’s special teams and depth scoring. At 11:34, Max Battacchio extended the lead on the power play, finishing a setup from Hayden Joseph and Manchulenko. Just 49 seconds later, the Colts struck again with another power-play goal—this time from Miller, his second of the tournament, assisted by Joseph. The offensive surge continued at 2:59 when Campagna scored his fifth of the tournament on a play created by Kaidyn Beaird and Joseph. Tyler Lang capped off the scoring at 37 seconds remaining, firing home a power-play marker unassisted to seal a dominant third period and a convincing Korah victory.

In goal, Will Franic delivered another solid performance for the Colts, while will ford stood between the pipes for the Knights.

With the win, the Colts advanced to the semi-final of the Nipissing District Athletics Hockey Tournament, where they would meet the St Benedict Eagles on Friday morning.

In the quarter-final matchup of the Nipissing District Athletics Hockey Tournament on Friday morning, the Korah Colts squared off against the St Benedict Eagles in a tightly contested battle defined by disciplined defense, timely scoring, and strong goaltending. The Colts struck first in the opening period, setting the tone at 11:33 when Bodie Belair buried his fifth goal of the tournament. Belair’s marker came off a well-executed play from Preston Miller and Diego Campagna, giving Korah the early 1–0 advantage.

The second period saw one of the game’s defining moments as the Colts extended their lead while shorthanded. At 5:25, Koen Manchulenko scored his fourth of the tournament on a determined effort set up by Max Battacchio, pushing the Colts ahead 2–0 and swinging momentum firmly in Korah’s favour heading into the final frame.

St Benedict refused to go quietly and battled hard in the third period. Their perseverance paid off at 1:49 when Mauro Cusinato capitalized on a power play, scoring his fourth of the tournament with an assist from Zach Pelletier to cut the Korah lead to 2–1. Despite the late push, the Colts held strong defensively, with goaltender Will Franic making key saves down the stretch to preserve the lead. Dante Bortolotto was sharp in goal for the Eagles, keeping the game within reach throughout.

Korah’s disciplined structure and timely scoring ultimately earned them the victory, securing their spot in the tournament semi-final.

On Friday afternoon in North Bay, the Korah Colts hit the ice with a clear mission—secure their spot in the 2025 Nipissing District Athletics Hockey Tournament championship final. In a high-intensity semi-final matchup against the Confederation Chargers, the Colts delivered another strong performance, skating to a decisive win behind balanced scoring, special teams success, and steady goaltending.

The opening period saw the Colts strike first at 10:46 when Koen Manchulenko buried his fifth of the tournament, finishing a setup from Max Battacchio and Jackson Burrows. The Chargers responded on the powerplay at 6:44 with an unassisted marker from Cameron Quesnel, but Korah regained the lead before the intermission. With 1:57 remaining, Donny Hernden capitalized on a Colts powerplay, converting feeds from Tyler Lang and Burrows to give Korah a 2–1 advantage through 20 minutes.

Early in the second, the Colts extended their lead just five seconds into the period. Diego Campagna, who has been red-hot throughout the tournament, notched his sixth of the weekend off a setup from Preston Miller, pushing the score to 3–1 heading into the final frame.

Korah continued to control the pace in the third. At 6:03, Tyler Lang scored a powerplay goal—his third of the tournament—with Tyler Neveau drawing the assist. Just minutes later, Campagna struck again at 3:02, recording his seventh of the tournament on assists from Neveau and Miller. The Colts capped off a dominant period at 2:20 when Manchulenko added his second of the game and sixth of the tournament, finishing a play set up by Lang and Kaidyn Beaird.

Between the pipes, Will Franic delivered another composed performance for Korah, while Sam Lemieux battled for the Chargers.

Riding momentum, depth scoring, and a composed defensive effort, the Korah Colts secured their spot in the championship final. After edging the St. Benedict Eagles 2–1 earlier in round-robin play, the Colts once again proved up to the task when it mattered most, defeating the Eagles in a spirited championship showdown.

The opening period set the tone with back-and-forth action. Korah struck first at 14:18 when Max Battacchio buried the game’s opening goal, assisted by Donny Hernden. St. Benedict responded just two minutes later, as Reid Bombadieri finished off a setup from Dawson Kolodinski and Mauro Cusinato to level the score. The Colts, however, regained the lead before the break. With 3:36 remaining, Tyler Neveau converted on a play sprung by Bodie Belair and Preston Miller, sending Korah into the intermission up 2–1.

In the second period, the Colts continued to dictate pace. At 14:25, Diego Campagna extended the lead, capitalizing on offensive-zone pressure with assists from Neveau and Belair, giving Korah a two-goal cushion heading into the third.

St. Benedict pushed back early in the final frame. Dominic D’Angelo trimmed the deficit at 12:41, with Cusinato collecting his second helper of the game. But the Colts had an answer yet again. At 8:28, Koen Manchulenko restored the multi-goal lead, finishing off a setup from Battacchio to put the game out of reach.

Between the pipes, Will Franic backstopped Korah with a steady performance, while Dante Bortolotto battled hard for St. Benedict in a busy outing.

Colt coach Dustin Grondin told Saultsports that “The boys had a great weekend. We picked up an extra game in the round robin to try get the boys as much hockey as we could get. We really found our stride down here and the boys dug real deep to beat some hungry teams. We had to get players over from Guelph after the football team won a hard fought OFSAA bowl game, and the boys never used it as an excuse. I couldn’t be happier for the boys and I am so very proud of them. We have a special group here. In the dressing room after the win, one of our captains Preston Miller told the group that this level is the expectation as we come home and get to work refining our game. The team is all in on that and I think that bodes well for our group.”

With the win, the Colts return to Sault Ste. Marie as champions of the 2025 Nipissing District Athletics Hockey Tournament. Their focus now shifts back to High School Hockey League play, where they will host the CASS Huskies on Sunday, November 30th, with puck drop set for 7:00 p.m. at the John Rhodes Community Centre.