Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
At the John Rhodes Centre on Sunday, November 30th, the St. Mary’s Knights handed the undefeated Superior Heights Steelhawks their first loss of the Sault Ste. Marie High School Hockey League season — and it came in emphatic fashion. Led by a dominant four-goal performance from Beau Primeau, the Knights skated to a hard-fought victory in a high-tempo matchup that showcased two of the league’s top teams.
The Knights came out flying in the opening frame. Primeau opened the scoring at 13:11 with his sixth of the season, finishing a setup from Ethan Agawa and Bobby Real to put St. Mary’s on the board. Just minutes later, the Knights struck again on the powerplay, with Primeau burying his second of the afternoon—his seventh of the year—off crisp puck movement from Agawa and Nathan Watts to give St. Mary’s a 2–0 lead heading into intermission.
St. Mary’s added to their lead early in the second when Nathan Watts notched his 12th of the season at 13:33, thanks to helpers from Luke Cady and Hunter Jackson. The Steelhawks, however, showed why they entered the game unbeaten. Ty Cond responded at 11:59 with his eighth of the campaign, converting a pass from Colton McLean and Drew Hankinson to cut the Knights’ lead to 3–1.
Primeau completed his hat trick at 8:59 of the third, tapping in a feed from Jackson and Tucker Bennett to restore a three-goal cushion. But the Steelhawks weren’t done. Goals from Ayden Hamilton at 6:58 and Curtis Johnson at 4:01 quickly tightened the score to 4–3, injecting tension back into the building. The Knights needed an answer — and once again, Primeau had it.
With 3:27 left, Primeau scored his fourth goal of the game and ninth of the season, finishing a play started by Jackson and Watts to give St. Mary’s some crucial breathing room. The dagger came with just 20 seconds on the clock when Hunter Jackson fired his seventh of the year into an empty Steelhawks net, sealing a statement win for the Knights.
Knights goaltender Aaron Juma stood tall throughout the contest, while the Steelhawks rotated through pressure situations in their own end as they chased the game late.
Next up for Superior Heights is a matchup with the White Pines Wolverines on Monday, December 1st at 3:30 p.m. at the John Rhodes Centre. The Knights will have a longer break before returning to action on December 7th at 7:30 p.m., also at the John Rhodes Centre, to take on the CASS Huskies.
