Written by: Scott Savard
High River, AB (December 20, 2025) – The High River Flyers will end 2025 on a high note as they came away with a 5-1 win in Ponoka against the Stampeders tonight.
The Stampeders have struggled all season long, holding a single win in 27 games played, which came in overtime against the Airdrie Thunder on November 1. While the Flyers haven’t had a breakout season, they were set up to finish 2025 with a win, as they have found more success than the Stampeders this year.
Tonight’s game would mark the first time the two teams have met this season.
The Flock would heavily outshot the Stampeders 54-36, and unlike the game last night, the Flyers found the back of the net five times in the contest.
Kaiden Fulton made his first start of the weekend, making 35 stops for the win. Ray Musgrove made the start for the Stampeders and kept his team in the game with 49 saves.
While both netminders saw a ton of action with the Flock outshooting Ponoka 17-12 in the opening period, the buzzer would go off to end the frame with both teams yet to put one across the goal line.
The special teams helped the Flyers in the second frame as captain Wout Rehorst opened the scoring 1:28 into the period, and assistant captain Lucas Hughes extended the lead less than 30 seconds later with his own power play goal. Hughes and McCallum Bakken picked up the assist on the Rehorst opening goal, along with Bakken again, and assistant captain Ethan Burgeson picked up the helpers on Hughes 2-0 goal.
The third period would see the Stampeders break Fulton’s shutout bid just before the halfway mark of the period, with Brendon Harnack scoring for the home team. Bakken would add his seventh of the season just over two minutes later to give the Flyers their two-goal lead back, with assistant captain Isaac Cayetano picking up the lone assist. Just under five minutes later, Rehorst added his second goal of the game, along with his team leading 13th of the 2025-2026 HJHL season. Burgeson and Drew Armstrong collected the helpers on the 4-1 goal.
Hughes would finish things off just over a minute after Rehorst made it 4-1 with his second of the night and 11th goal of the season. Owen Campigotto collected the lone assist on the final goal of the evening.
The Flyers will now have some time to relax before hosting the Stampeders for their opening game of 2026 on January 2 at Bob Snodgrass Rec Plex with a puck dropping at 8:30 p.m.
