February 23, 2026
2026 GMHL Playoff Series Recap: #4 North York Vs. #5 St. George
St. George Ravens Upset North York in Three-Game Thriller
The South Division’s wildest first-round matchup lived up to every bit of the hype.
In the only series to reach a deciding Game 3 - and the only one to produce a seeding upset - the fifth-seeded St. George Ravens eliminated the fourth-seeded North York Renegades (the reigning South Division playoff champions) and advanced to face top-seeded Northumberland Stars.
It was a series defined by special teams, big-game finishers, and a goaltending duel that ultimately belonged to Alessandro Gruosso.
Game 1: St. George 5, North York 1
St. George set the tone in front of the home crowd at Gaukel Memorial, outshooting the Renegades 44-36 and getting a statement performance from Gruosso.
Period 1
Dylan Abendschon opened the scoring at 5:56 off a setup from Nathaniel Goodbrand and Dylan Dimitry, giving the Ravens an early edge in a physical, playoff-style start.
Period 2
St. George doubled the lead on the power play when Kade Saker converted at 6:22, and Theo Wolfe made it 3-0 at 11:35 as North York struggled to find clean looks through traffic.
Period 3
Goodbrand and Landon McDougall piled on early, pushing the lead to 5-0 before North York finally broke through on a power-play marker from Oliver Koch. Gruosso shut the door the rest of the way to close out a dominant opener.
Three Stars of the Game
1st Star: Alessandro Gruosso (St. George) – 35 SV, .972 SV%
2nd Star: Nathaniel Goodbrand (St. George) – 1G, 2A
3rd Star: Landon McDougall (St. George) – 1G, 1A
Game 2: North York 5, St. George 3
With their season on the line at Canlan Ice Sports York, North York responded, leaning on their top-end skill and moving the series to a deciding third game.
Period 1
Evan Gupta opened scoring on the power play before Austin Roberts made it 2-0 less than a minute later. St. George answered with a power-play goal from Daniel Tremblay to keep it tight after one.
Period 2
Brady Conrad shocked North York with a short-handed goal early, but Kristian Sevostyanov answered quickly and Tamerlan Kamalov added another to give the Renegades control heading into the third.
Period 3
Tremblay scored his second of the night to pull the Ravens within one, but Roberts buried his second of the game late to secure the 5-3 win and force Game 3.
Three Stars of the Game
1st Star: Kristian Sevostyanov (North York) – 1G, 2A
2nd Star: Austin Roberts (North York) – 2G
3rd Star: Eric Stephenson (North York) – 3A
Game 3: St. George 3, North York 1
In the deciding game, St. George got the exact formula you need on the road in the playoffs: timely scoring, elite special teams, and a goaltender who refused to blink.
Period 1
A scoreless opening period set the tension. Both teams had chances, but Gruosso and Vladimir Vovchuk stood tall to keep it even.
Period 2
Daniel Tremblay broke through at 7:25, and Landon McDougall added another at 10:20 to give the Ravens a 2-0 lead. North York responded on the power play late in the period, with Oliver Koch cutting it to 2-1 and setting up a dramatic finish.
Period 3
St. George slammed the door on the power play. Tremblay struck again at 7:37 for his second of the game and third in two games, and Gruosso took over from there, stopping 41 of 42 shots to silence the building and complete the upset.
Three Stars of the Game
1st Star: Alessandro Gruosso (St. George) – 41 SV, .976 SV%
2nd Star: Landon McDougall (St. George) – 1G, 2A
3rd Star: Daniel Tremblay (St. George) – 2G
Goaltending Battle
This series had two of the South Division’s best in the crease.
Vladimir Vovchuk - the South Division’s top goaltender award winner - was steady throughout, stopping 99 of 114 shots across three games. But Gruosso, the award runner-up, delivered the defining moments: a 35-save gem in Game 1 and a 41-save masterpiece in Game 3, finishing with 107 saves on 114 shots in the series and clearly stealing the spotlight when it mattered most.
Key Performances
Alessandro Gruosso (St. George): Back-breaking Game 1 and Game 3 performances
Daniel Tremblay (St. George): 4 goals in the series, including 2 in Game 3
Landon McDougall (St. George): Big goals and timely playmaking throughout
Nathaniel Goodbrand (St. George): 3-point Game 1 that set the series tone
Kristian Sevostyanov (North York): Drove the response in Game 2 (3 points)
Eric Stephenson (North York): Three assists in Game 2, steady presence all series
Implications
For St. George, this was a statement series - not just an upset, but an earned one. They won the special teams battle in key moments, got elite goaltending, and found clutch scoring from their leaders.
For North York, it’s a stunning first-round exit for the reigning South Division playoff champions. The Renegades showed flashes of why they’re dangerous, but couldn’t solve Gruosso when the season tightened into a one-game verdict.
What’s Next?
The Ravens now advance to face the top-seeded Northumberland Stars. It’s a daunting matchup against the South Division’s most dominant regular-season team, but St. George has already proven they can win under pressure.
A full series preview will be coming soon as the Ravens try to keep their Cinderella run alive.