HAMILTON-WENTWORTH CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
Bishop Ryan Celtics Takes Hockey Championship

Some might call it a lucky bounce.

But the first-place Bishop Ryan Celtics will take it none-the-less.

When a mid-range shot by Celtics centre Levi Snider missed its target late in the third period, the puck bounced off the backboards, went around the other side of the net and landed on a teammate's stick out front. Winger Brett MacQueen immediately swiped it into the net to give BR a 4-3 victory over the St. John Henry Newman Cardinals in the 2025-26 Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic boys' high school hockey championship game.

That decisive goal at Dave Andreychuk Mountain Arena capped the scoring with one minute, 43 seconds remaining.

"It was almost like a perfect pass off the end boards to the guy -- right back out on his stick," Newman coach Matt Pritchard said. "He (MacQueen) did his job and finished it.

"The game-winner was a heart-breaker."

Other Celtic goals were shared by Snider, Brady Guimond and defenceman Gavin Barricelli.

The Cardinals, who fought back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits, got two goals by Matteo Iovio and one by Brett Parker.
"When Levi missed it, Brett was right there to bang it in," Celtics coach Justin Cannon said. "Brett is always in the right spot at the net. The two of them are fantastic together. They play outside together for the Bombers as well."

Said Snider: "We've played together for years now. We know each other well. I think that has helped a lot."

It was the second year in a row that Newman and Bishop Ryan had faced off in the final. And for the second-place Cardinals, it was their third consecutive appearance in the title game.

"A lot of our guys have been here for the last three finals," Pritchard said of Newman's league trophy drought which extends back to 2015. "It sucks to end up on the losing end, but I'm very proud of the way we battled all year. And I know coach (Josh) Ranalli would say the same."

For the Celtics, it was their fourth championship win in five years.

"This game was wild," Cannon added. "There was a whirlwind of emotions on the bench, too."

According to the BR coach, a "reset" was needed during the second-period intermission. Said Cannon: "We told the guys we're off our game. They're pushing us around a little out there. Let's get back to playing hockey.

"Everybody started to believe in each other and I thought we controlled the third period."

The Celtics stretched their winning streak to 10 games after two losses to open the regular schedule.

"It's been a really good ride," Cannon said. "It's been a pleasure to coach this group."

Bishop Ryan's roster this season also included Kane Bazinet, Mason Hunks, Marcus Muraca, Luca Moretuzzo, Jett Metaxas, Nolan Pond, Carter Brennan, Henry Barrett, Lucas Milton, Rocco Pingue, Luke Della Maestra, Taylor Charlton, Jace Folz, Connor Lavell, Nicholas Lagges, Marcus LoPresti, Boston Strauch, Ethan Zivanovich, Cameron Costa, Alexandre Marica, Ryder Strauch, Austin Black, Owen Snider, Jack Boyd, Daniel Skolnik, Lincoln Harron, Noah Saraphanian, Liam Woodruff, Tyler Wall and Liam Tocher.

The Celtics are idle until the Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference AAA final in Hamilton on March 12 against a Halton opponent.

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