South Alberta Hockey Academy wins back-to-back Circle K Classic

One of the most prestigious AAA hockey tournaments of the year came to a close on New Year’s Day.

Max Bell Arena welcomed nearly 3,000 fans Sunday, and was standing room only prior to puck drop for the feature final between the Calgary Buffaloes and South Alberta Hockey Academy (SAHA).

The Buffaloes entered the tournament with a 19-0-1-1 (win-loss-overtime-loss-tie) record, whereas their opponent SAHA entered the year-end tournament with a 14-4-0-2 (win-loss-overtime loss-shootout loss) record.

South Alberta Hockey Academy vs. the Calgary Buffaloes in the “A” final on Jan. 1, 2023. (Photo Credit: Cole Fortner, CityNews)

The 2019-20 final was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, and the 2020-21 game postponed until April of 2022.

Sunday’s game marked the first time since the 2019-20 final that the last game of the tournament was played on New Year’s Day.

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The prestige and pressure of the tournament meant teams that wanted to make it to the main final needed to be perfect, or nearly perfect, through the round-robin and the playoffs — and both teams were.

The Buffaloes topped their pool with wins over Swift Current Legionnaires (4-1), RINK Kelowna (3-1) and Chicago Mission (7-2), before eliminating Team Hungary in the quarter-finals (7-2) and Shawnigan Lake in the semi-finals (6-1)

South Alberta, which is located in Dunmore, Alberta, just outside Medicine Hat, also topped their pool with wins over Saskatoon Blazers (4-2), Calgary Northstars (5-0) in a rematch of a wild semi-final in April, and St. Louis (8-7 in overtime), before eliminating Yale Hockey Academy (4-0) in the quarter-finals, and the Burlington Eagles (4-1) in the semi-finals.

During the game, SAHA opened the scoring 14 minutes into the first off with a goal from Kade Duell, and controlled most of the game from that point.

South Alberta Hockey Academy celebrate their opening goal in the “A” final on Jan. 1, 2023. (Photo Credit: Cole Fortner, CityNews)

In the second, on a powerplay, Noah Dziver found the back of the net just before the nine-minute mark. SAHA also got a pair of quick goals from Sammy Hynes and Josiah Jackson to take a 4-0 lead into the 2nd intermission.

In the third, while the Buffaloes were looking to battle back, Nate Corbet and Brett Calhoon added a goal each to SAHA’s tally, giving the defending champions the title.

South Alberta Hockey Academy celebrate their second straight win in the “A” final on Jan. 1, 2023. (Photo Credit: Cole Fortner, CityNews)

The WHL’s number one draft pick in 2022, Gavin McKenna, managed two assists for SAHA and took the tournament MVP award.

McKenna’s teammate, Zach Zahara, took the playoff MVP award as he was nearly unbeatable in the playoffs, saving 70 of 71 shots and posting two shutouts through the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals.

The 44th annual Circle K Classic, which was newly rebranded for this year’s tournament, also featured a slightly new tournament format that featured three other finals earlier in the day.

Edge School control play against Okanagan Rockets in the “B” final on Jan. 1, 2023. (Photo Credit: Cole Fortner, CityNews)

Fraser Valley Thunderbirds claimed the “D” finals with a 5-3 win over St. Louis Blues.

Bishop Kearney Selects from Rochester, New York, defeated the Edmonton Oilers Blue 5-4 in a shootout to take the “C” final.

And Edge School, which is near the Springbank airport, repeated as “B” champions with a 5-2 win over the Okanagan Rockets.