Ace Hardware Continues Championship March with Dominant 7-1 Victory over Lake Cowboy

The battle for first place in the Celly League turned into a statement Tuesday night at Braemar Arena.

Entering the evening, second place Lake Cowboy had an opportunity to tighten the race atop the standings. Instead, Ace Hardware reminded everyone why it has separated itself from the rest of the league.

In one of its most complete performances of the summer, Ace Hardware overwhelmed Lake Cowboy 7-1 to remain unbeaten at 5-0 while officially putting a stamp on the regular season championship. It wasn't simply another victory. It was another example of a team that continues to execute at a level rarely seen in summer hockey.

Offensively, the puck movement was crisp and purposeful. Defensively, Ace dictated the neutral zone and consistently denied clean entries. Once Lake Cowboy managed to gain possession, Ace's five-player commitment in its defensive zone made sustained offensive pressure difficult to generate. Every layer of its game worked in unison.

Ace wasted little time taking control. Lizzy Callahan opened the scoring less than ten minutes into the opening half after Olivia Paidosh found her in stride. Four minutes later, Dylan Berman doubled the advantage, again finishing an opportunity created by Paidosh.

The offensive pressure never let up and Lola Reid made it 3-0 off a beautiful passing sequence from Jackson Kinsler and Alexa Van Straaten before Van Straaten added one of her own less than a minute later, converting a feed from Cate McCoy and Paidosh to send Ace into halftime firmly in control with a 4-0 advantage.

Lake Cowboy found more opportunities during the second half, finishing with 17 of its 22 shots after the break, but Ace never allowed the momentum to shift.

Josie Linn pushed the lead to 5-0 early in the second half after Grace DelMonico and Maeve Kelly combined on the setup before Lily Barrett added another off feeds from Callahan and Jackson Kinsler.

Lake Cowboy finally broke through with 4:29 remaining when Taylor Field converted a play from Alli Ryan and Lauren Zawoyski to spoil the shutout bid, but Ace answered less than three minutes later as Van Straaten scored her second goal of the evening off assists from Callahan and McCoy to close out the 7-1 victory.

The balanced attack once again illustrated why Ace Hardware has become the league's standard.

Van Straaten finished with two goals and an assist, while Callahan added a goal and two assists. Olivia Paidosh quietly orchestrated the offense with three assists, and Jackson Kinsler continued his outstanding summer with two more helpers, giving him nine assists on the season. Cate McCoy added two assists, while Berman, Reid, Linn and Barrett all found the back of the net.

Between the pipes, Janie McGawn and Sedona Blair combined for another solid performance, allowing just one goal while their teammates in front of them controlled the game in all three zones.

Ace Hardware's dominance extends well beyond Tuesday night's scoreline.

The victory secured the regular season championship while improving the club to 5-0 with a league-best 15 points. Ace has now scored 26 goals, allowed just eight, and owns a remarkable +18 goal differential. The next closest team, Lake Cowboy, sits 16 goals behind in differential, illustrating just how consistently Ace has controlled games throughout the summer.

Championship teams often separate themselves with talent. Great teams separate themselves with discipline.

Ace Hardware has both.

Every line contributes offensively. Every player is committed defensively. Their neutral zone structure consistently disrupts opposing rushes, and their five-player defensive zone coverage forces opponents to earn every inch of ice. In a summer league where wide-open play is often the norm, Ace continues to play connected, structured hockey that looks far more like March than July.

Five games into the season, they haven't simply been the league's best team.

They've been the standard everyone else is chasing.