Four different local minor hockey associations combined to secure the five championship banners that were up for grabs in early January at the annual Andrew Desjardins Winter Classic in Walden, with the host crew walking off with a pair.

The Coniston Outlaws scored once in each and every period, defeating Walden Futurescape 3-1 to lay claim to the U18 Division after edging that very same opponent 2-1 earlier in the weekend in round robin play.

Xavier Esquimaux-Osawamick, Austin Simon and Maverick Pouliot found the back of the net for the winners with Matthew Gedye snapping the shutout bid only after Coniston had built up their three goal lead.

The U16 Division produced the wildest final of the day as the Rayside Tigercats bolted out to a 3-0 first period lead but could not hold on as Valley East SR Landscaping countered with five straight goals, the final four from Blake Chenier, the last three of which were netted in the final frame as the VEMHA reps trimmed the Tigercats 5-3.

Caleb Rocheleau accounted for the remaining goal for the champions while Jack Whitton, with a pair, and Blake Freeman answered in a losing cause.

Copper Cliff XCaliber needed a semi-final overtime winner from Lukas Larose just to make it to the U15 final (thanks to a 4-3 win over the Rayside Wildcats), but then took care of business with gold medals on the line, edging Walden Major Drilling 4-3.

Lukas Larose and Marckus Racicot scored two goals apiece for Copper Cliff, the latter breaking a 3-3 deaclock midway through the third after a two goal effort from Carson Tissington and a solo marker from Owen Strom helped Walden pull even with a team they had beaten (4-2) on opening day.

Host teams shone their brightest in the younger age brackets as Tyler Ralph (three goals) and Cody Campbell (two goals) took care of all of the scoring in a 5-1 Walden Lake City Realty win over Walden Laurentian Chrysler Hellcats in the U13 gold medal game.

Braeden Merkley broke the goose-egg for the Hellcats, a WMHA entry who posted a 2-1-1 record in preliminary round games before topping Valley East Northern Ontario Film Studios 3-1 in the semis.

Last but not least, the Walden Lake City Realty U11 squad were the second time that dodged an overtime bullet in the semi-finals before prevailing in the championship encounter, tripling Walden Pinehill Lumber 3-1 on Sunday afternoon.

Hunter Paishegwon scored the last of his four goals in OT to lift Lake City past Walden Climate Control 4-3 in a final four showdown and then was joined on the scoresheet by teammates Easton Sirkka and Evan Malinowski in the all-WMHA final, with Lucca Levesque scoring for Pinehill.