Fall Classic returns with top tier puck

KENT — Hockey teams from as far as Toronto carved up the ice in Kent for the South Kent Fall Classic Oct. 11 to 13.

Teams featured in the round robin tournament were South Kent School 18U, Northwood School 18U (Lake Placid, New York), New Jersey Rockets 18U (Bridgewater, New Jersey), and Upper Canada College (Toronto, Ontario).

All four teams faced off against one another over the three days of hard-hitting hockey. For tournament scoring, a regulation win awarded three points while an overtime/shootout victory awarded two points. An overtime/shootout loss awarded one point and a regulation loss gave no points.

Northwood returned to the Fall Classic as reigning champs, defeating South Kent in the last game of the tournament in 2023. New Jersey and UCC were newcomers to the Classic this year.

South Kent’s Brenson Grande, no. 14, attacks the net. Lans Christensen

The weekend began with Northwood against New Jersey. The fast-paced offenses matched up well against each other. A 3-3 draw after overtime led to a shootout, which was won 2-1 by Northwood.

South Kent faced UCC on day one in what proved to be a barn burner. Both teams lit up the scoreboard and ultimately South Kent came out on top with a 7-5 victory.

Day two opened with New Jersey against UCC. The Canadians struggled against New Jersey and fell 4-2 in regulation.

South Kent then faced Northwood in a rematch of last year’s Fall Classic championship game. The close contest came down to the wire with South Kent finding a chance to tie in the final seconds. But in the end, Northwood won 3-2.Going into Sunday, reigning champs Northwood led the pool with 5 points. New Jersey had 4 points, South Kent had 3 points, and UCC had 0 points.

Northwood secured its repeat victory in the Fall Classic with a decisive 5-1 win over UCC. The Northwood Huskies posed with their championship banner on center ice for the second year in a row.

In the second-place game, South Kent matched up against New Jersey. The high-scoring game ended 8-5 in favor of New Jersey. New Jersey took second in the 2024 Fall Classic and South Kent placed third.

Northwood School poses with the championship banner for the second year in a row.South Kent School live stream