By Hockey Canada

WEYBURN, Sask. – The host Weyburn Red Wings have gone the distance and captured the 2005 RBC Royal Bank Cup, Canada’s National Junior A Hockey Championship. The Red Wings defeated the Camrose Kodiaks 3-2 on Sunday evening, in front of a sellout crowd of 2,152 at the Weyburn Colosseum.

This is the second time that the Weyburn Red Wings have won Canada’s National Junior A Hockey Championship, previously winning it at home in 1984. They are the eighth team from the SJHL to win the coveted RBC Royal Bank Cup which ties them with the BCHL record of eight victories.

Weyburn finished the tournament with a convincing 5-1 record, with their only loss coming in the round robin at the hands of the Portage Terriers.

The Red Wings took a 1-0 lead into the second period, when a rebound deflected off the chest of Kai Magnussen and into the Camrose net. Weyburn increased its lead to two when a point shot from Cody Wasik beat a screened Camrose goaltender David Thompson with just over three minutes left in the second period. Camrose responded two minutes into the third to pull to within one when MacGregor Sharp buried an unassisted goal past Brenden Cuthbert, and tied the game on a goal by Jason Roberts with only 34.5 seconds left. Rick Wood scored the winner with 16.6 seconds left and sent the home town crowd into a frenzy as Thompson struggled to control a bouncing shoot-in, Wood raced in and poked the puck into the net.

Weyburn goalie Brenden Cuthbert made 40 saves in the victory.

The Player-of-the-game for Weyburn was Brenden Cuthbert, while Jason Roberts took home the honours for Camrose.