Hamilton, ON - The Redeemer Royals hosted the SUNY Niagara Thunder Wolves to open up their 2026-27 campaign on Friday night. 

Before the game, the teams took part in a very touching ceremony for Redeemer's Dawson Abrahams, who passed away this past summer.  

The teams held for a moment of silence, followed by the dropping of the puck without a Royals centerman and allowing four seconds to pass, in honour of Abraham's position and number. 

Once the moment had passed, the clock was reset to 20:00, and the puck was dropped on this contest, and the season had officially begun. 

It didn't take long for this game to get interesting, as the Royals came out FIRING in this one. Thunder Wolves goaltender David Crampton had to make a few incredible stops to open the contest. 

There were some big hits in this game, both teams were trying to make their presence felt all night long 

The Royals were able to break through early in the first frame, as Nolan Lodder found the back of the net off a nice setup from Hayden Fernhout. 

However, just 41 seconds later, SUNY Niagara's Adam Perry picks up a fortunate bounce off those lively Dave Andreychuk Mountain Arena boards and ties the contest at one apiece. 

Redeemer, not to be discouraged, kept the pressure on and eventually drew a roughing penalty. The powerplay looked like a well-oiled machine from right off the draw, and Tucker Copeland capitalized just 32 seconds into the man advantage. 

Just over a minute later, Noah Wildeboer created a turnover on a ferocious forecheck. The forward drove the net on the backhand, generating a juicy rebound that Colton Stanley was able to capitalize on. 

Asher DeBoer tacks one more for the Royals with under two minutes left in the opening period, as they take the 4-1 lead into the intermission. Redeemer nearly tripled-up the Thunder Wolves in the shot department, leading 17-6 after one. 

The second period was a lot more even, with both teams trading chances, and both goalies had to be sharp. Eoghan Atkinson made a few great saves to keep the game out of reach for the Thunder Wolves. 

4:20 into the second frame, the Royals drew a slashing penalty. At 4:25, the powerplay was abruptly ended by another Stanley goal! 

Carter Dwornikiewicz would bury twice later in the frame, and the Royals took a 7-1 lead into the second intermission. 

The third period was an entertaining one. Last in the category of goals, but first in the category of total shots. Both teams traded chances all period, with Redeemer out shooting SUNY Niagara 18-14! 

Asher DeBoer added the eighth Royals goal off a screened point shot, but the vast majority of the highlights of that frame belonged to the two goaltenders. 

Other than the offensive explosion, this game was highlighted by the Royals' special teams. Both the powerplay (2-for-2) and the penalty kill (3-for-3) were perfect for Redeemer on Friday night. 

Redeemer starts the 2026-27 season off 1-0-0, as they await the release of the rest of the schedule to continue their campaign.