FEIA Falcons fall short of finals despite strong showing in Montreal

Thomas Harvey, 16, scored four goals over two days in Montreal last weekend, but the Fort Erie International Academy’s (FEIA) Under-18 men’s hockey team still went home without a finals berth, finishing 2-1 at the Canadian Sport School Hockey League’s (CSSHL) East Championships alongside the school’s Under-17 men’s squad, which matched that record.

The results place the Falcons in familiar territory for a program only a few years into competitive league play: good enough to win more than they lose, not yet good enough to win it all. The coaches’ plan to close that gap includes recruiting prospective players across Niagara.

The U-18 Falcons opened with a 2-0 loss to Mount Academy on March 18, then outscored their next two opponents by a combined 11 goals.

Derek Bachynski, the U-18 head coach, said in a Monday news release the program’s purpose goes beyond the scoresheet.

“Developing players is number one for us. That’s why we practice every day into spring, to build complete players. We teach hockey IQ, visualization, life classes, respect for others and character building,” said Bachynski in the release.

Harvey, the 16-year-old forward from Rosemère, Que., scored four goals across those wins, finishing with six points in the tournament. Sam Schelling of Varennes, Que., added two goals and two assists, while Travis McDougall of Pikogan, Que., contributed one goal and four assists in a 5-4 win over Ontario Hockey Academy that closed their round robin.

The program’s roster this season drew heavily from Quebec, with additional players from Alberta, Russia, Mexico City and Ruskin, Fla. Goalie Ashton Venzon was the only player from Fort Erie itself.

Bachynski said the path from prep hockey to post-secondary takes patience.

“Hockey players sometimes take a little longer to get scholarships than other athletes. Step one is our team, then junior hockey, then college or university,” said Bachynski.

Elliot Hudon, a defenceman from Lévis, Que., opened the scoring against King Heights Academy less than a minute into that 8-2 win. Venzon of Fort Erie stopped 24 of 26 shots.

The U-17 Falcons dropped their opener 7-4 to Lower Canada College before winning their next two.

Charles-Antoine Racette of Repentigny, Que., scored four goals over the weekend. Elisei Melikian and Matvei Zakharov, both from Russia, each recorded three goals and two assists. Fort Erie beat CIH Academy 6-2 in a game they led 6-0 through two periods, with Vladimir Palash, Xavier Couturier and Racette each scoring twice.

In the CSSHL, Demitry Gikas of Mirabel, Que., posted a 1.64 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage across 12 appearances, earning a first-team all-star selection from the Ontario Prep Hockey League.

Forward Juri Baunov of Moscow made the league’s all-academic team with a 96 per cent average.

The academy is now recruiting for the 2026-27 season. Coaches say they want more players from the Niagara region, an area they have not yet pulled from in significant numbers.

“Our program is still young, but each year we’re growing and building for better things, getting more competitive in leagues and attracting higher quality players,” said Bachynski.

The academy, founded in 2019 and based out of the former Fort Erie Secondary School on Tait Avenue, runs a 10-month program with four on-ice practices a week, three weight room sessions and daily study hall and video sessions.

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