On January 24, the Greater Toronto Hockey League’s Under-18 All-Star Festival fuelled by Gatorade brought together many of the league’s top U18 players across the ‘A’, ‘AA’, and ‘AAA’ levels for a full day of celebration and competition. With the stands filled with family and friends, the festival opened Saturday morning with the U18 ‘A’ All-Star Game, setting the tone right from the day’s first puck drop.
Team Blue started the day with a statement win in the ‘A’ All-Star Game, taking a 6-4 decision over Team Red.
The first match-up of the festival didn’t see scoring right away, but Team Blue struck twice in a flash late in the opening frame. With under a minute remaining in the first period, Ian Chambers (Vaughan Rangers East) broke through, and Max Tafler (North York Knights) followed quickly after to give Team Blue a 2-0 advantage heading into the second.
Team Red responded in the middle frame, with Luciano Torresan (Toronto Royals) getting the group on the board later in the period to cut the deficit in half. The answer from Team Blue came almost immediately — less than a minute later, Oliver Rothman (North Toronto) buried a power play tally to restore the two-goal cushion. Before the second came to an end, Team Blue added another as Sean Smith (Victoria Village Mustangs) found the back of the net, sending Team Blue into the third with a comfortable 4-1 lead.
Team Red made a strong push in the final frame, rallying with three third-period goals — including a power play marker — as George Eaves (Humber Valley Sharks), Alex Medeiros (Applewood Coyotes), and Vincent Santorsola (Vaughan Rangers) each scored to keep it tight down the stretch. But Team Blue held firm, with Tafler scoring his second of the game and Hayden Berkovic (North Toronto) sealing the result into the empty net to secure the 6-4 final.
Gatorade Most Valuable Player honours went to Cole Ryder (Humber Valley Sharks) for Team Red after a three-assist performance, while Team Blue’s MVP was Sean Smith (Victoria Village Mustangs), who chipped in with a goal in the win.
The GTHL extends a gracious thank-you to both Gatorade for fuelling the 2026 U18 All Stars, and Gitch Sportswear, the U18 All-Star Festival’s apparel partner.
GALLERY: 2026 U18 ‘A’ All-Star Game Fuelled by Gatorade
