ST. CATHARINES, Ontario — In the quiet of the Meridian Centre stands, long after his teammates had left, Hayden Jeffery embraced a momentous occasion with his family and friends. The young goaltender had just achieved one of the most significant wins of his budding hockey career. Despite the chilly rink, Jeffery stood in a red Ice Dogs Hockey T-shirt and shorts, seemingly unaffected by the cold.
Reflecting on the 6-4 victory over the London Knights, Jeffery, just 18 years old, confessed, “To be honest, I just remember the win. I don’t even remember what happened,” as he spoke of the thrilling conclusion to his 40-save performance. This win was unexpected, especially considering Jeffery’s status as a Junior B goalie playing only his second Ontario Hockey League game for a team that had faced 12 consecutive losses and had been fraught with injuries to both their starting and backup goalies.
The odds seemed daunting. The Knights boasted a 48-8-2 record, leading the Canadian Hockey League, and included 13 NHL draft picks, four of whom were first-round selections. “I’ll tell you this, I don’t know if that was written on the bingo card tonight,” joked Ice Dogs coach Ben Boudreau. “That’s an unbelievable fairy-tale moment for him to get his first win against all these world junior guys, top-ranked team in Canada.”
During the game, Jeffery showcased his skill early on with a crucial save against Easton Cowan, a top prospect picked 28th by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2023 NHL draft. Moments later, he thwarted a scoring attempt by Blake Montgomery, a fourth-round pick for the Ottawa Senators in 2024. Although the Knights initially led after the first period, Niagara dominated the second and never looked back.
Jeffery was instrumental in the third period, denying 21 of 23 shots, including another key save against Montgomery. Meanwhile, Kevin He completed his hat trick and secured the win with an empty-netter in the final seconds. “I’m still kind of speechless,” said He, the first Chinese-born player to sign an NHL contract, proudly acknowledging Jeffery’s impact.
The Ice Dogs’ previous 12 games had seen them defeated 0-9-3, suffering a significant goal deficit of 72-29, which dropped them to sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. With only three weeks left in the season, the pressure mounted, with playoff spots available for the top eight teams. Jeffery got the nod for the starting position the night before the game after a solid performance in a Junior B match, where his record stood at 23-8-2.
In his OHL debut with the Ice Dogs, Jeffery had 23 saves in a loss and had appeared briefly in another game earlier in the season. When asked if Jeffery might start again, Boudreau responded with enthusiasm, stating that Jeffery looked every bit the OHL goaltender. From Grimsby, Jeffery had been overlooked as a 16-year-old by various OHL teams before being drafted by Niagara as a seeming afterthought in the Under-18 draft.
Looking back on the game, Jeffery could only express how much it meant to him. “It means the world,” he said. The young goalie believes the experience has fortified his belief that he can compete and win at the OHL level. After the interview, Jeffery returned to his friends, savoring the moment and reluctant for the night to end.
