In one of the fastest, crispest games of the entire tournament, Great Plains held on for a 4-3 win over International in the first semifinal of the evening. 

Contrary to other starts during the tournament, Great Plains didn't wait for the opposing team to make the first mark, taking a 1-0 lead on a goal by Dylan Dean with 10:38 to play in the opening frame. Keaton Jundt extended the Great Plains lead to 2-0 with a goal early in the second before International got on the board with a tally by Joel Isakkson. Sammy Nelson notched a highlight-reel goal late in the second period to push the Great Plains lead to 3-1, but International's Reg Taylor tipped in a shot to pull the Lions back within one. 

Mikey Berchild scored Great Plains' fourth goal of the game, again swinging the pendulum in favor of the cream and black, but International would not go quietly, pulling within one again on a goal by Lincoln Ayers-Assad. Cash Cruitt was up to the challenge for Great Plains in the nets in the final minutes of the win, finishing the game with 22 saves on 25 shots. 

Kash Alger-East tied the game late in the third period, and Grayson Slaney buried a loose puck in the game's final minutes to lift Manitoba to a 4-3 win over East Coast in the second semifinal on Thursday night.

As they have all week, penalties played a pivotal role in the late-game surrender of the lead for East Coast, which allowed Manitoba a five-on-three power play advantage for 1:40, during which the Manitobans tied the game. Alger-East's tying goal came on a beautiful top-shelf shot, popping the water bottle off the back of the net from down low. 

Manitoba's Ryden Duchon provided the game's best highlight, skating end to end while dipping around three East Coast players before depositing the puck into the back of the net on his backhand. Brody George scored a goal for East Coast, with Ryan Walsh adding two scores. In addition to the goals by Alger-East, Duchon, and Slaney, Marcus Betts also scored for Manitoba. 

Manitoba will meet Great Plains in the championship game, a rematch of an earlier pool play battle. Great Plains won the first meeting between the teams 7-6 in overtime.