Airdrie captures 2019 HJHL Championship

AIRDRIE – Rylan Plante-Crough had six points as the Airdrie Thunder captured the 2019 Heritage Junior Hockey League Championship with a 10-5 victory over the Coaldale Copperheads in Game 3 of their best-of-five series on Tuesday.

Plante-Crough scored three times and added three assists, while Jordan McConnell had two goals and three helpers.

Jackson Little registered the victory between the pipes, making 29 saves on the night, while Barrett Sheen added a pair of tallies.

Jason Wenzel finished with a goal and two assists, while Brett Campbell and Tyler Petrie rounded out the scoring for Airdrie, which held leads of 4-1 after 20 minutes and 9-3 going into the final frame.

Jayden Smith scored twice for the Copperheads, which also got goals from Jared Bainbridge, Jason Creighton and Isiah Day Chief.

This marks the first HJHL championship for the Thunder since 2000.