The 2026 NOSSA Hockey Championships officially opened on Monday, March 8th in Sault Ste. Marie, as eight high school teams from across Northern Ontario hit the ice for the opening day of competition at the Northern Community Centre.
Day one featured four girls games and four boys matchups as schools from North Bay, Greater Sudbury, and Sault Ste. Marie competed for a chance to advance toward the NOSSA championship finals later in the week. Among the local contenders were the 2026 boys regular season and playoff champions, the Korah Colts, and the 2026 girls regular season Korah Colts and playoff champions, the Superior Heights Steelhawks. Also representing the Sault were the St. Mary’s Knights on the boys side.
The opening game of the tournament delivered immediate excitement as the Korah Colts edged the Superior Heights Steelhawks 4–3 in overtime in the 8:00 a.m. matchup. The Colts found the extra-time winner in a tightly contested game between the Sault rivals, giving Superior Heights an early tournament victory.
In the second girls contest of the morning, the Scollard Hall Bears battled the St. Charles Cardinals, with St. Charles earning a 2–1 victory in a closely played matchup.
The afternoon session saw the Cardinals return to the ice and deliver a strong performance, defeating the Steelhawks 6–1 to pick up their second win of the day.
The final girls game featured a dominant effort by the Scollard Hall Bears, who rebounded from their morning loss with a convincing 5–0 victory over the Korah Colts to close out day one.
On the boys side, the hometown Korah Colts opened their tournament with a solid 5–3 victory over the Superior Heights Steelhawks in the 9:00 a.m. game.
Later in the morning, the Lo‑Ellen Knights picked up a strong win over the Scollard Hall Bears, skating to a 6–2 victory.
The afternoon brought a tightly contested matchup between the Lo-Ellen Knights and Korah Colts, with the two teams battling to a 2–2 tie in one of the most evenly matched games of the day.
The final boys game of the opening day saw the Scollard Hall Bears bounce back in a big way, defeating the St. Mary’s Knights 5–1 to wrap up Monday’s action.
Tournament play continues on March 10, when teams return to the Northern Community Centre for the final round of competition. The morning schedule will see Scollard Hall Bears versus the Superior Heights Steelhawks in boy’s and girl’s faceoff at 8:30 a.m, followed by Korah Colts taking on St Charles Cardinals at 10:30 a.m in the final round robin game of the girls bracket. On the boy’s side for the last game of round robin action, the St Mary’s Knights meet the LoEllen Knights at 10:30 a.m.
Later in the day, the top two teams will meet in the championship final, with the boys final scheduled for 2:30 p.m and the girls championship game set for 3:00 p.m.
With several tightly contested games already in the books and regional pride on the line, the stage is set for an exciting conclusion to the 2026 NOSSA High School Hockey Championships in Sault Ste. Marie.
