Global Courant
Breadcrumb Trail Links
PMN Sports PMN Hockey
Author of the article:
The Canadian Press
Abdulhamid Ibrahim
Published June 4, 2023 • read for 3 minutes
Charle Truchon (47) of Quebec Remparts controls Jared Davidson (29) of Seattle Thunderbirds as William Rousseau, right back, of Quebec watches during the second period of Memorial Cup hockey action in Kamloops, BC, on Sunday, June 4, 2023. Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESS
Article content
KAMLOOPS, BC — William Rousseau recorded the first shutout of the tournament with 32 saves as the Quebec Remparts defeated the Seattle Thunderbirds 5-0 on Sunday to claim the Memorial Cup title.
Advertisement 2
This ad hasn’t loaded yet, but your article continues below.
THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
Exclusive articles from Conrad Black, Barbara Kay, Rex Murphy and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that can be viewed, shared, and commented on on any device. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times crossword. Support local journalism.
SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
Exclusive articles from Conrad Black, Barbara Kay, Rex Murphy and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that can be viewed, shared, and commented on on any device. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times crossword. Support local journalism.
REGISTER FOR MORE ARTICLES
Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles every month. Receive email updates from your favorite authors.
Article content
Vsevolod Komarov, James Malatesta, Kassim Gaudet, Zachary Bolduc and Charles Savoie scored for Quebec, which won its third title in franchise history and its first since 2006.
Thomas Milic stopped 30 shots for Seattle.
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Remparts booked a ticket to the finals after opening the tournament with two consecutive wins over hosts Kamloops and Seattle.
Quebec played their last game on Tuesday, a pointless 4-2 loss to the Peterborough Petes in their final round-robin game.
Meanwhile, the Western Hockey League champion Thunderbirds entered the finals after beating Ontario Hockey League champion Petes 4-1 in Friday’s semifinals. The win gave Seattle its first-ever berth in the national final.
Article content
Ad 3
This ad hasn’t loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Komarov opened the scoring with 6:31 in the first period. Gaudet drove into Seattle’s zone on a 2-on-1 break and sent a cross-ice pass to Komarov, which hit Milic over his left shoulder.
Five minutes into the second period, the Thunderbirds had some solid chances to tie the score. Lucas Ciona found Kyle Crnkovic alone in the left throw-in circle, but his deflecting shot went just over the net. Seconds later, Ciona was stopped at the front by Rousseau.
Malatesta doubled Quebec’s lead at 8:50 in the second. Less than a minute after being stopped at a breakaway opportunity, Malatesta took advantage of a three-man break with Theo Rochette and Komarov. His fifth goal tied him for first place in the tournament with Crnkovic.
With less than a minute left, Seattle made a stronger effort to close the deficit. With a scramble up front, Jordan Gustafson tried to get it past Rousseau but was stopped.
Ad 4
This ad hasn’t loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Dylan Guenther was sidelined shortly afterwards and six seconds later Luke Prokop’s point shot met the same fate.
After being beaten 7–0 by the Remparts in the first over six minutes of the third period, Jeremy Hanzel went just wide on a tap-in attempt on a Crnkovic pass as the Thunderbirds continued to look for their first goal.
Justin Robidas made it 3-0 for Quebec almost halfway through the frame. His attempt to hit the puck in the air hit the crossbar, slid over the goal line and out.
But it was Gaudet who instead extended the Remparts’ lead with a short-handed goal 12:21 into the third. Robidas took possession of the puck in the Quebec zone and, with a 2-on-1 break, sent a cross-ice pass to Gaudet that ended the game.
Ad 5
This ad hasn’t loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Bolduc made it 4-0 with 4:04 left in the game on a one-off pass from Jeremy Langlois.
Savoie further cemented the lead when he took a drop pass from Rochette and sent it past Milic with 2:05 left.
COMMENTS
When the Remparts last won the Memorial Cup, head coach Patrick Roy became the seventh coach to win the event in his rookie year behind the bench. Roy was also the first to do so since Claude Julien accomplished this feat with the Hull Olympiques in 1997.
Roy had coached Quebec from 2006-2013 before taking a job with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche for three seasons. He returned to the Remparts in 2018 and has been at the helm ever since.
It is the Thunderbirds’ first appearance at the tournament since 2017 and the first with head coach Matt O’Dette. The Toronto native took the job after the 2016-17 season, when the team won its first WHL title and made its second Memorial Cup appearance.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 4, 2023.
Share this article on your social network
Comments
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a vibrant yet civilized forum for discussion and encourages all readers to share their thoughts on our articles. It can take up to an hour for comments to appear on the site. We ask that you keep your comments relevant and respectful. We’ve enabled email notifications: you will now receive an email when you receive a reply to your comment, when there’s an update to a comment thread you follow, or when a user you follow makes a comment. For more information and details on customizing your email settings, visit our Community Guidelines.
