When it comes to the Memorial Cup, two teams will have played each other, while two teams will not. The two teams familiar with each other will get only one chance to face each other unless they meet again in the tiebreaker. Such is the case with a round robin tournament.
The tournament started this year with the red-hot Kitchener Rangers facing the host team, the Kelowna Rockets. Though the Rockets made some acquisitions at the trade deadline, they could in no way compete with the incredible buying power Kitchener had through draft-pick selloffs. Kelowna felt the brunt of it, dropping a 5-0 contest to the Rangers in the first game of the Cup. If Kelowna hadn’t been strong in net, that score could have easily been doubled.
The next night, Everett faced the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, a team that had won a war with the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL. Everett, with a strong performance that included a power play goal and a shorthanded empty netter, took their opener in a 5-3 win.
Chicoutimi had little time to lick its wounds as it faced the Kelowna Rockets in a game where the Rockets may have had their best shot at a win. Chicoutimi scored first in the opening period, followed by the Rockets six and a half minutes into the second stanza. With just under six minutes left in the third, the Sagueneens tallied and looked to be in control. The Rockets weren’t done, though, as they notched the equalizer with just over four minutes to go and sent the game to overtime. There, Chicoutimi pushed in the dagger just over five minutes into the fourth period to secure a 3-2 win. The shots were even at 39, and power plays were not fruitful. Chicoutimi moved to 1-1, while Kelowna dropped to 0-2.
The big game people wanted to see wasn’t so much about the scoreboard as it was a goaltending clinic. The Everett Silvertips faced the Kitchener Rangers in what many see as the finals of the Cup. The Rangers picked up two in the first, including a power play goal, compared to one by Everett. The Silvertips tied the game just past the eight-minute mark, but then saw the Rangers score three goals in a span of less than five minutes. Kitchener added another in the third to take the game 6-2. Everett blasted Kitchener 42-28 in shots, but had a hard time solving Rangers goalie Christian Kirsch. Kitchener played a rougher style, with Everett going 1-for-4 on the power play compared to 1-for-2 for Kitchener.
The remaining tournament qualifier games will see Chicoutimi and Kitchener square off, followed the next day by Everett and Kelowna. The Rockets must beat Everett to play in the tiebreaker, while Kitchener can vault straight to the finals with a win over Chicoutimi. Currently, the standings have Kitchener at 2-0, Everett and Chicoutimi at 1-1, and Kelowna at 0-2. The Rockets would play in the tiebreaker if they defeat Everett. If Kitchener and Everett both win, Kitchener advances directly to the finals, and the semifinal would feature Everett against Chicoutimi. Everything now rides on Kelowna versus Everett.
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