CANTON – PHG Elite took the win in their opening game of the 2025 Jr. Chowder Cup on Thursday afternoon. They held off a late rally by Valor Hockey Group to earn the 5-4, ’09 Elite division win at the Canton Ice House.
The sides went back-and-forth through the game’s first half. PHG grabbed the game’s first lead on a Chase Banks goal. Valor tied things up when Ride Leroux scored at 17:02, but PHG had its lead back when Escher Briere scored in the closing minutes of the opening frame to take a 2-1 lead into the break.
Out of the half, PHG pushed that lead to 4-1 on goals from Gregory Dumont and Colton Stecchini. Valor stopped their slide when Peyton Williams scored to make it 4-2.
Andrei Bratanau made it a three-goal advantage once again with a score at 12:49 of the second, but Valor was not yet done.
Both Leroux and Williams scored again in the latter half of the second to get Valor to within one, but they were never able to overtake their foe. Netminder Conner Sestak and the PHG defense holding on to preserve the 5-4 win.
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