It’s usually edge-of-your-seats action when Edge School is on the ice at the Circle K Classic.
James Poole’s crew from Springbank is an annual treat to watch at the world-renowned under-18 AAA hockey tournament.
And it’s so far, so good after Friday’s opening day of action in Calgary, in an effort to get back to — at least — the semifinal round the Edge Mountaineers achieved last winter.
“The first one’s important,” said head coach Poole, following the 5-1 Day 1 victory by Edge (1-0) over the Chicago Mission (0-1). “The fact that two teams from each pool get through to the playoff round, getting the first one makes you feel good and gives you confidence.
“We feel good with how the first game went.”
So, too, did the other winners Friday — at least with regards to the scoreboard.
Here’s what’s going on at The Circle K heading into Saturday’s Day 2 at Max Bell Centre and Seven Chiefs Sportsplex …
WHAT MAKES EDGE GO?
Ryley Budd is the only returning member of last year’s semifinalist Edge.
As the Mountaineers goaltender, that makes Budd the veteran backbone Poole’s squad — and he showed it in Friday’s decision, with 30 stops.
“Our goaltending and our forwards drive our team a little bit more this year,” said Poole, who was blessed last winter with high-end blue-liners Ben Macbeath, Luke Vlooswyk and Landon Dupont, last year’s Circle K MVP and the first-overall pick in the 2024 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft after being granted special exemption to play full-time in the major junior loop as a 15-year-old.
“We’ve got Brock England and Mirco Dufour up front, and they led Team Alberta to winning the WHL Cup,” continued Poole. “They’ve been driving our team for the most part. But we like our mix — we’ve got some older kids that have led by example.”
England got one of two first-period goals Friday, while Dufour scored two late insurance markers, including one into an empty net to keep threatening Mission from climbing back into a game at time dominated by the local side.
“We’re a young team — we’ve got a lot of young players,” Poole said. “So you’ve got to learn from games like that. You know … all of a sudden you get a little bit comfortable and you get away from what made you successful. Sometimes you just don’t have that maturity in our game of sticking with it.
“Hopefully, we just keep getting better and better as the tournament goes on.”
Edge gets B.C.’s Fraser Valley Thunderbirds (0-1) late Saturday afternoon.
“Brand new team, so there’s no pressure of trying to repeat what you did last year,” added Poole. “At the end of the day, you can’t put those expectations on those kids or try to build off what the team did last year, because a lot of them didn’t go through it.”
WHAT HAPPENED ON DAY 1?
• Last year’s silver medallists, the Phoenix Jr Coyotes (1-0), kicked off the tourney with a 3-1 edge of OHA Edmonton (0-1) in trying to reach the final again this year and avenge a 3-0 loss to champion Shattuck-Saint Mary’s.
• Maddox Schultz, the 14-year-old phenom with WHL exceptional status potential, had two assists for the Regina Pat Canadians (1-0) in their 6-4 win over the Calgary Royals (0-1). Schultz and the Pat Canadians play late Saturday against the OHA Edmonton at Max Bell.
• First-timer Halifax Mac’s topped B.C.’s BWC Academy 5-3, while fellow newcomer Calgary International Hockey Academy — or CIHA — fell behind early to champ Shattuck-Saint Mary’s.
• Other local sides went 2-1, with the Okotoks Bowmark Oilers (1-0) edging Detroit Victory Honda (0-1) 5-4, the Calgary NW Flames (1-0) topping Boston Academy (0-1) 4-1, the Calgary Northstars (0-1) falling to New York’s Bishop Kearney Selects (1-0) 3-2. Late Friday saw the Calgary Buffaloes play Team Hungary and the Airdrie CFR Bisons challenge Edmonton Jr Oilers Orange.
• Friday evening’s opening ceremonies followed the theme ‘Your Path Forward’, with the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Calgary Canucks — hosts of the 2025 Centennial Cup at Max Bell, May 8-18 — front and centre in the festivities. The Centennial Cup itself was on hand, and a couple of Canucks performed the ceremonial puck-drop for the ensuing feature game at Max Bell.
• Also Friday, it was: Sioux Falls POWER 8, Cariboo Cougars 5; Edmonton Jr Oilers Blue 5, Thunderbirds 3; Moose Jaw Warriors 4, OHA Penticton 1; and Sherwood Park 5, Valley West Giants 2. Other late games featured the St. Louis Blues versus RHA Kelowna and the Northern Alberta Extreme versus Pittsburgh Pens Elite.
WHAT TO WATCH ON DAY 2
(see SATURDAY’S DAY 2 SCHEDULE for game-times and locations)
• WinSport’s CIHA drops the puck early against female goaltender Renna Trembecky and the Sherwood Park Kings. That’s at Max Bell alongside defending champ Shattuck-Saint Mary’s with its second game of the tourney — that against B.C.’s Valley West Giants.
• The afternoon time-slot features Team Hungary versus the Pittsburgh Pens Elite, which is pegged as one of the top American teams in the tournament, and the home-town Calgary Buffaloes versus the Northern Alberta Xtreme, which has been solid to start the Canadian Sport School Hockey League campaign.
• Later in the afternoon, it’s the Calgary NW Flames — the top team in the Alberta Elite Hockey League’s U18AAA loop — facing off against first-timer Halifax Mac’s.
• And the feature game in the evening pits the Calgary Royals against the Coyotes.
SATURDAY’S DAY 2 SCHEDULE
Morning
CIHA v. Sherwood Park Kings, Max Bell 2, 10 a.m.
Moose Jaw Warriors v. Bishop Kearney Selects, 7 Chiefs 2, 10 a.m.
Calgary Northstars v. OHA Penticton, 7 Chiefs 1, 10:30 a.m.
Valley West Giants v. Shattuck-Saint Mary’s, Max Bell 1, 10:30 a.m.
Afternoon
RHA Kelowna v. Edmonton Jr Oilers Orange, Max Bell 2, 12:45 p.m.
Pittsburgh Pens Elite v. Team Hungary, 7 Chiefs 2, 12:45 p.m.
Airdrie CFR Bisons v. St. Louis Blues, Max Bell 1, 1:15 p.m.
Calgary Buffaloes v. Northern Alberta Xtreme, 7 Chiefs 1, 1:15 p.m.
Late afternoon
BWC Academy v. Boston Academy, Max Bell 2, 3:30 p.m.
Chicago Mission v. Edmonton Jr Oilers Blue, 7 Chiefs 2, 3:30 p.m.
Calgary NW Flames v. Halifax Mac’s, Max Bell 1, 4 p.m.
Fraser Valley Thunderbirds v. Edge School, 7 Chiefs 1, 4 p.m.
Evening
OHA Edmonton v. Regina Pat Canadians, Max Bell 2, 6:15 p.m.
Cariboo Cougars v. Detroit Victory Honda, 7 Chiefs 2, 6:15 p.m.
Calgary Royals v. Phoenix Jr Coyotes, Max Bell 1, 6:45 p.m.
Okotoks Bowmark Oilers v. Sioux Falls POWER, 7 Chiefs 1, 6:45 p.m.
http://www.x.com/ToddSaelhofPM