The Warriors were the “Cinderella team” of the 2025 Canadian Armed Forces Atlantic region men’s hockey championship January 21 to 24, losing all their round robin games but winning the essentials – including two do-or-die play-offs and the final.
The 14 Wing Greenwood Bombers hosted the tournament at the Greenwood Gardens, with the 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown Warriors, 12 Wing Shearwater Flyers and the CFB Halifax Mariners. Lieutenant-Colonel Eric Travis, with Wing Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan Proulx, dropped the opening puck to start the action January 21.
Game 1 had the hometown Bombers on the ice, matched with the Gagetown Warriors. Period one was scoreless; period two saw a Greenwood single from Sailor First Class Ryan Hoskins, assisted by Warrant Officer Pier-Olivier Poulin. Gagetown tied it up in the third, before Greenwood got the clincher at 1:38, scored by Corporal Tyler Williams, assisted by Corporal Steve Best and Master Corporal Tyler Happeney.
12 Wing defeated Halifax that afternoon 4-2 and, that evening, Halifax defeated Gagetown 5-2.
January 22, Greenwood hit the ice for the first of a two-game day, taking on Shearwater for the morning game. At the end of the first period, Greenwood lead Shearwater 3-2. Shearwater scored first in the first, with Greenwood getting in the next three: at 9:33, from Corporal Simon Landry, assisted by Captain Dave Savery; at 9:16, from Corporal Tyler Williams, assisted by Happeney and Corporal Tyler Currie (three Tylers on one goal!); and at 3:22, from Happeney, assisted by Williams. Williams, assisted by Happeney, scored again in both the second and the third to seal a 5-2 win. Greenwood goalie Captain Nik Majchur was the team’s game MVP.
That afternoon, Greenwood met Halifax, who held a 2-1 through the end of the second: Greenwood’s goal came in the second from Williams, with Best and Happeney. Greenwood got in two goals in the third to make it a 4-2 win: the first from Williams, with Landry and Happeney; the second from Happeney. Greenwood game MVP was Corporal Rhett Sheppard.
Gagetown lost the evening game 4-1 to Shearwater.
Day 3, Greenwood had an open schedule, having finished atop the round robin and clinching their spot in the Friday final. In play-off#1, Gagetown took on Halifax, winning 4-2 – the beginning of the Warriors’ comeback. The afternoon semi-final saw Gagetown working hard again, against Shearwater, to take a 5-1 win.
The Friday final was a tight game, in a packed Greenwood Gardens. 14 Wing coach Major Michael Hiltz said, with one injured player from the first round robin game – also against Gagetown, he was still confident in the quality of the team’s four lines; team members were wary of the skill of the Gagetown goalie from that game, and watching matches through the week.
Underway, Greenwood was on the board first on a goal from Landry, followed by a Gagetown goal from Sergeant Adam O’Quinn, assisted by Master Corporal Damien Heinle. There was no scoring through the second period, and a third period Gagetown goal from Heinle held as the winner. Greenwood game MVP was team captain Williams; Gagetown goalie Lieutenant Joey May was the tournament MVP.
