It was a championship game filled with momentum swings, dramatic late goals, and a stunning finish as the Korah Colts battled the Lo-Ellen Knights of Sudbury on day two of the NOSSA Boys Hockey Championships at the Northern Community Centre on Tuesday, March 10th.
In a thrilling contest that came down to the final seconds, the Colts scored twice in the final minute to secure a dramatic 5–4 victory, earning the 2026 NOSSA Championship.
The Knights opened the scoring midway through the first period. At 12:36, Jayden Ceming netted his first goal of the tournament, finishing a play set up by Lincoln Lachance and Nicho Labreque to give Lo-Ellen a 1–0 lead.
Lo-Ellen doubled their advantage at 9:11 when Nicho Labreque scored his first of the championship, assisted by Cavan Clarke, putting the Knights ahead 2–0.
The Colts responded just moments later. At 8:47, Max Battacchio found the back of the net for Korah’s first goal of the game, with assists going to Ryan Johnson and Koen Manchulenko, cutting the deficit to 2–1 heading into the intermission.
Lo-Ellen regained their two-goal cushion early in the second period on the power play. At 12:32, Matthew Trottier scored with the man advantage, assisted by Lincoln Lachance and Jayden Ceming, extending the Knights’ lead to 3–1.
The Colts clawed back midway through the frame. At 7:11, Will Pusch scored for Korah, finishing a play from Gavin Avery and Max Battacchio to bring the game back within one at 3–2.
Korah completed the comeback midway through the third. At 13:49, Preston Miller scored his second goal of the NOSSA tournament, tying the game 3–3 with assists from Bodie Belair and Ryan Johnson.
The Knights regained the lead late in the game. At 2:04, Max Jouppi capitalized on a scoring opportunity, assisted by Noah Lafrance and Matthew Trottier, restoring Lo-Ellen’s lead at 4–3.
The final minute delivered incredible drama.
With just 41 seconds remaining, Gavin Avery tied the game 4–4 for the Colts with an unassisted goal, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Then, with only 14 seconds left on the clock, Korah completed the comeback. Koen Manchulenko scored his seventh goal of the NOSSA Championships, assisted by Tyler Neveau and Max Battacchio, sealing a dramatic 5–4 victory and the NOSSA title for the Colts.
Payton Melchiorre handled the goaltending duties for the Korah Colts, while William Ford stood between the pipes for the Lo-Ellen Knights.
Earlier in the day at the NOSSA Boys Hockey Championships, Scollard Hall Bears tied the Korah Colts 3-3 followed the St. Mary’s Knights also tying the Lo-Ellen Knights 2-2.
Despite the championship result, both finalists will move on to represent Northern Ontario at the OFSAA Boys Hockey Championships, scheduled for March 24–26. The AAA Championship will take place in LaSalle, Ontario, while the AA Championship will be hosted in Belleville, Ontario, where the top high school teams from across Ontario will compete for provincial glory.
