DAY 9 – SUNDAY, MAY 11, 2008

Taylor Nelson (G) – Humboldt

Has there been a more obvious choice throughout the nine-day National Junior A Championship? Nelson shut down the vaunted Camrose offense, saving the best of his 30 saves for last, robbing national Junior A player of the year Joe Colborne from point-blank range with less than a second to go and the Kodiaks enjoying a six-on-four advantage. The save will go down as one of the best in national championship history, and ensured that Nelson will forever be a part of Humboldt hockey lore.

DAY 8 – SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2008

Tory Allan (F/A) – Humboldt

Humboldt’s 6-1 romp over Cornwall was a well-rounded effort, but it was Allan who scored the game’s most important goal – connecting on the powerplay just 1:20 after the Colts had tied the game shorthanded. He also assisted on Tanner Vandesype’s powerplay goal that put the Broncos up 4-1 early in the third period as the West Region champions cruised into the championship game for the second time in five years. Will a second RBC championship banner hang in Elgar Peterson Arena?

DAY 6 – THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2008

Jesse Todd (F/A) – Camrose

For many players, three shorthanded points would be quite an accomplishment in a week-long tournament. Jesse Todd didn’t just do it in one tournament, or one game, he did it in one period. Todd’s offensive flurry while a man down – all in the span of 7:50 – turned a close 1-1 game into a 4-1 Camrose lead, and the Kodiaks locked it down from there to wrap up a perfect round robin. Could national championship #2 be on the horizon for the Pacific Region champions?

DAY 5 – WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2008

Jeremy Welsh (F/A) & Geoff Guimond (F/A) – Oakville

Guimond scored twice – with Welsh assisting on both – and Welsh had a hat trick – with Guimond picking up one helper – as the Blades kept their improbable semi-final hopes alive with a wild 7-6 win over Humboldt. The duo will need to keep up their offensive pace if Oakville hopes to complete their improbable road to the playoffs – the Blades finish up the round robin against Camrose, who has allowed just three goals in three games thus far.

DAY 4 – TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2008

Darcy Findlay (F/A) – Cornwall

He scored the back-breaking third goal in the Colts’ dominating first period and added an assist on David Chubb’s second goal of the game in the third period as the tournament hosts all but wrapped up a semi-final berth. The Bristol, QC native never takes a shift off and is beloved by the Cornwall fans, earning the ‘C’ on his jersey every time he takes the ice. A national title would be a fitting cap to the career of the 20-year-old veteran.

DAY 3 – MONDAY, MAY 5, 2008

Allen York (G) – Camrose

York was at his best in the first 40 minutes of Monday’s game, turning aside 23 shots to keep the Kodiaks close before their third-period comeback in a 2-1 win over the high-powered Humboldt Broncos. If the Columbus Blue Jackets’ draft pick continues his strong play – he has allowed just two goals in two games thus far – the Kodiaks could claim a second national championship to join their 2001 crown.

DAY 2 – SUNDAY, MAY 4, 2008

Matt Pinder (F/A) - Cornwall

Pinder scored once – banking the puck of an Oakville defender to give his team a 2-0 first-period lead – and added three assists, figuring in on Cornwall’s final four goals, as the Colts broke into the win column with a hard-fought 5-4 victory. If Pinder, Darcy Findlay and Jean-Phillipe Beaulieu continue their offensive roll – the trio combined for nine points – the Colts could make some noise against the nation’s best.

DAY 1 – SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2008

Laurent Benjamin (F/A) - Humboldt

Playing alongside Jordan Schindel and Edward Gale, Benjamin scored at even strength, on the powerplay and shorthanded in the Broncos’ convincing tournament-opening win. One national championship banner already hangs in Humboldt, from the team’s 2003 title run. If Benjamin and the Humboldt offense continue to click, there could soon be another in the rafters of Elgar Peterson Arena.