On Sunday April 5th, the Winnipeg Ice AAA defeated the Battlefords Sharks AAA 4-3 in Game 3 of their Best-of-3 series to win the 2026 Esso Cup West Regionals and advance to the 2026 Esso Cup (April 19-25 in Dieppe, New Brunswick).

After winning the opening game of the series 4-2, the Ice lost the second game 4-1, which forced a Game 3. Callie Adams (Winnipeg) scored the game winning goal in Game #3 with six minutes to go in the third period to secure the 4-3 victory and send the Ice to the 2026 Esso Cup.

Ice goaltender Gina Plett was named Player of the Game in Game #3, stopping 35 of 38 shots. In the three-game series, Plett had a record of 2-1 with a 2.17 goals against average and a .946 save percentage.

This is the first time in 14 years that a Manitoba team has won the Western Regionals.

Established in 2009, the Esso Cup brings together five regional champions from across the country, plus a host team, to compete for Canada’s U18 Women’s National Club Championship. Provincial champions from Ontario and Quebec advance directly to the Esso Cup, while the remaining berths are filled by regional champions from Pacific (B.C. and Alberta), West (Manitoba and Saskatchewan) and Atlantic (N.B., N.L., N.S., P.E.I.).