2026 Dineen Cup Championship set after Grand Junction claims Mountain Division
The 2026 Dineen Cup Championship is set after Grand Junction beat Utah 2-1 to win the Mountain Division title on April 17. Grand Junction will face P.A.L. Junior Islanders, while South Shore will open against Idaho Falls.
The 2026 Dineen Cup Championship is set after the Grand Junction River Hawks won the Mountain Division title by a score of 2-1 on April 17. They will face off against the P.A.L. Junior Islanders, while the South Shore Kings will start the tournament off against the Idaho Falls Spud Kings. All games are to be played at Mountain America Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho, in a double-elimination format.
The Grand Junction River Hawks secured the Mountain Division championship with a 2-1 victory over the Utah Outliers at River City Sportplex. Grand Junction struck first in the opening period as Marius Koivisto found the back of the net, giving the River Hawks an early edge. After a scoreless second, the teams traded goals in the third—Valters Budenieks pulled Utah even midway through the frame, but Noah Lasker responded just over four minutes later with the game-winner to seal the title.
The River Hawks outshot the Outliers 35-27 and went 1-for-3 on the power play. Utah was unable to convert on four opportunities.
Earlier in the playoffs, Grand Junction finished off their semifinal series against the Idaho Falls Spud Kings in convincing fashion, earning a 3-1 series win to move on to the Mountain Division Final. Utah completed a sweep of the Ogden Mustangs with a 4-3 overtime victory, advancing 3-0 in the series to reach the Mountain Division Final.
The 2026 NCDC Dineen Cup Playoffs pushed forward on April 4 with key results shaping both the New England Conference and the remaining divisional brackets. Three division champions were crowned in New England: the South Shore Kings in the East Division, the Utica Jr. Comets in the Central Division, and the Lewiston MAINEiacs in the North Division.
The championship schedule lists P.A.L. Junior Islanders against Grand Junction at 2:00 PM on April 24, followed by South Shore Kings against Idaho Falls at 7:00 PM. The remaining games are scheduled for April 25 through April 28, with the final set for April 27 and a second final on April 28 if necessary.