Newfoundland and Labrador U17 boys take gold in national ball hockey

The Newfoundland Selects won the national under-17 boys’ ball hockey championship Sunday, beating the British Columbia Thunder 5-3 in Fredericton, N.B.
Labrador City’s Mark Hillier, who plays hockey at St. Andrews College in Aurora, Ont., led the Selects with three goals. Sean Hickey and Ethan Moore added singles. Nicholas Moore collected three assists.
Newfoundland was 4-0-1 in the tournament.
The province’s U19 men’s team suffered a heart-breaking 3-2 loss in double overtime in their final to New Tecumseth, Ont. Jack Keough and Kyle McGrath scored for the Selects.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s U19 women’s team also dropped a tough one, losing 1-0 to Ontario Red in the final. Ontario scored in the first period.
Newfoundland goalie Kelsey Shute made 22 saves.
In U15 play, the Newfoundland Selects blanked Montreal Machine 7-0 in the B Pool bronze-medal game.
Zach Dean led the way with two goals and two assists. Jordan Winter, Dawson Crane, Ryan Greene, Josh Kennedy and Thomas O’Brien had singles.