Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
With a 5–3 Game One victory already in hand, the St. Mary’s Knights returned to the ice on Sunday, February 22nd looking to close out their semifinal series against the Superior Heights Steelhawks and punch their ticket to the 2026 Sault Ste. Marie Boy’s High School Hockey League City Championships.
After a scoreless opening period, the intensity ramped up in the second.
St. Mary’s opened the scoring at 14:25 of the second period when Beau Primeau netted his first goal of the season, finishing a play set up by Russell McNally to give the Knights a 1–0 lead.
Superior Heights answered on the power play at 7:04. Avery Fowler buried his second of the season with assists from Alex Hoffe and Ty Cond, evening the game at 1–1.
The Knights regained the lead at 2:40 of the frame as Nathan Watts scored his second of the season, capitalizing off crisp puck movement from Ethan Agawa and Russell McNally, sending St. Mary’s into the intermission ahead 2–1.
The Steelhawks pushed back in the third period. At 13:18, Ayden Hamilton tied the contest 2–2 with his second of the year, assisted by William Zuke and Curtis Johnson. Just minutes later at 8:47, Superior Heights grabbed their first lead of the game when Curtis Johnson scored his second of the season, set up by Rylan Hudson, making it 3–2.
Facing elimination, the Knights responded on the power play at 6:47. Nathan Watts struck again for his third of the season, with assists going to Connor Bishop and Russell McNally, knotting the game at 3–3 and forcing overtime.
The first overtime solved nothing, as both teams traded chances but couldn’t find the winner.
In the shootout, St. Mary’s leaned on their skill. Nathan Watts, Hunter Jackson, and Ethan Agawa all found the back of the net, with Agawa scoring the decisive shootout winner. For the Steelhawks, Avery Fowler and Ty Cond converted, but it wasn’t enough as the Knights secured the dramatic Game Two victory.
With the semifinal win, the Knights punched their ticket to the 2026 Sault Ste. Marie Boy’s High School Hockey League City Championships, which begin Tuesday, February 24th at the Northern Community Centre.
In addition to advancing to the city final, St. Mary’s also qualified for the 2026 NOSSA Hockey Championships, set for March 9th and 10th with Sault Ste. Marie serving as host.
For the Knights, it was a complete team effort — timely power-play execution, clutch performances in the shootout, and multi-point nights from key contributors — proving once again that playoff hockey is as much about resilience as it is about skill.
