RBC Cup 2015: Latest Results, Standings and Updated Schedule
Some of the best junior hockey talent in Canada descended upon Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, for the 2015 Royal Bank Cup.
The preliminary stage of the tournament kicked off with the Portage Terriers and Carleton Place Canadians both picked up victories. Preliminary play stretched through Thursday with the semifinals beginning Saturday, and the final featured Portage defeating Carleton Place 5-2.
Here's a look at the complete schedule for the RBC Cup and how those games impacted the round-robin standings.
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| Penticton Vees | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Portage Terriers | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Carleton Place Canadians | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| Melfort Dragons | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Soo Thunderbirds | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Preliminary | May 9 | Penticton Vees | Portage Terriers | 2-3 |
| 2 | Preliminary | May 9 | Soo Thunderbirds | Carleton Place Canadians | 0-4 |
| 3 | Preliminary | May 10 | Melfort Mustangs | Penticton Vees | 0-4 |
| 4 | Preliminary | May 10 | Portage Terriers | Carleton Place Canadians | 0-3 |
| 5 | Preliminary | May 11 | Melfort Mustangs | Soo Thunderbirds | 5-3 |
| 6 | Preliminary | May 12 | Carleton Place Canadians | Penticton Vees | 3-4 |
| 7 | Preliminary | May 12 | Soo Thunderbirds | Portage Terriers | 2-7 |
| 8 | Preliminary | May 13 | Carleton Place Canadians | Melfort Mustangs | 3-4 (OT) |
| 9 | Preliminary | May 14 | Penticton Vees | Soo Thunderbirds | 5-2 |
| 10 | Preliminary | May 14 | Portage Terriers | Melfort Mustangs | 3-2 |
| 11 | Semifinal | May 16 | Carleton Place Canadians | Penticton Vees | 2-1 (2OT) |
| 12 | Semifinal | May 16 | Melfort Mustangs | Portage Terriers | 1-6 |
| 13 | Championship | May 17 | Carleton Place Canadians | Portage Terriers | 2-5 |
May 17 Recap
Off a thrilling double-overtime victory over Penticton, the Carleton Place Canadians didn't have much steam left to carry into the RBC Cup championship game against Portage.
The Terriers were the last team standing, exploding for three goals in the final period to secure a 5-2 victory. MJHL Hockey highlighted how unique and historic Portage's title is:
Grant Valiquette got Portage on the board first, scoring with just under six minutes remaining before the first intermission.
Davis Ross then lit the lamp again for the Terriers at 2:42 in the second. Although Carleton Place bounced back with a goal from Alex Robinson (12:47) to cut the lead in half, two costly penalties by the Canadians allowed Portage to put it away.
Portage capitalized on two different power plays, getting goals from Jordyn Boyd and Brad Bowles. In a desperate effort to rally, Carleton Place pulled goaltender Guillaume Therien, only to see Sean Bowles—who assisted on two other goals—put the puck in the empty net with 2:59 left in the game to add insult to injury.
The Winnipeg Jets sent out support to their fellow provincial club:
This loss will be especially tough for Carleton Place to digest. The team lost in overtime in last year's RBC Cup finale and had a lot of players returning for another deep run. Now that nucleus has suffered heartbreak two years in a row, which will make it hard for the team to thrive in the near future.
The deck was also stacked against the Canadians to a degree. Portage was fortunate to be able to host the championship, yet it also had to earn the right to do so at PCU Centre.
What a win in this tournament does for the confidence of all the young, promising players involved is invaluable. Perhaps the members of Carleton Place can use it as a rallying point to drive their success later on.
May 16 Recap
Four teams battled it out Saturday for the chance to advance to the RBC Cup title game, and in the end it was the Carleton Place Canadians and Portage Terriers who punched their tickets for Sunday night's championship matchup.
Carleton Place entered its semifinal clash with Penticton Vees as slight underdogs since the Vees went 3-1 during the preliminary round.
Penticton took the lead in the second period as Tyson Jost netted an even-strength goal, but Carleton Place managed to equalize late in the period by virtue of Stephen Baylis' marker. After a scoreless third frame, the teams would have to go to overtime.
One overtime wasn't enough to settle it, though, which led to a second extra session. According to the RBC Cup's official Twitter account, that marked the longest semifinal game in the tournament in eight years:
It didn't take long for a deciding goal to be scored in the second overtime as Jordan Larson found the back of the net for the Canadians less than four minutes into the period. That sent Carleton Place to the final one year after falling to the Yorkton Terriers in the championship game.
Per the RBC Cup, it had been 17 years since a runner-up had returned to the final before Carleton Place accomplished the feat Saturday:
The Canadians will look to atone for that loss Sunday, and head coach Jason Clarke seems confident due to the fact that he has a veteran-laden team, according to Matthew Hermiz of The Graphic:
"We didn't panic during overtime at all ... when you've got 11 guys that have played here before you're going to have that experience," Clarke said. "And that experience is exactly what got us on top. When that puck went in it was very, very gratifying for our team."
Bouncing back to win the 2015 RBC Cup title won't be easy for Carleton Place, though, as it will have to deal with a strong Portage squad.
The Terriers went 3-1 during the round robin, and they used that momentum to easily dispatch of the Melfort Mustangs by a 6-1 score in the second semifinal.
There is little doubt that the Terriers were aided by playing in front of their hometown fans in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada, and that is something Carleton Place will have to find a way to overcome in the RBC Cup final.
Melfort simply couldn't as it was thoroughly outplayed by the home team. The Mustangs were out-shot 30-13 as goalie Richard Palmer was peppered throughout. Jordyn Boyd led the way for Portage with a pair of goals, and he figures to be a key player for the Terriers as they search for their first ever RBC Cup.
Thanks to the dynamic of Carleton Place looking for retribution and Portage having the home-ice advantage, the 2015 RBC Cup final could be one of the best in recent memory.
May 14 Recap
The semifinals at the 2015 RBC Cup are set. Following strong showings in their final preliminary games, the Penticton Vees and Portage Terriers sent a message to their opponents and advanced with flying colors.
Penticton turned in a dominant 5-2 triumph over the Soo Thunderbirds, who finished round-robin play without a victory. Patrick Newell scored two goals and added a pair of assists to be the game's top star, helping thrust the Vees into the RBC Cup's top overall seed. Newell's two goals both came in the second period, as Penticton raced out to a 3-0 lead before Soo could get on the board.
Demico Hannoun added three assists, and Steen Cooper had a goal and an assist. Dakota Conroy and Tyson Jost rounded out the scoring for Penticton. Goalie Hunter Miska stopped 20 of the 22 shots that went his way. The Vees dropped only one game in the preliminary round and move on to face the Carleton Place Canadians.
On the other side, Brett Jeffries was responsible for both Soo goals.
In the day's other matchup, Portage got three first-period goals and rode them the rest of the way for a 3-2 win over the Melfort Mustangs. Brad Bowles finished with one goal and one assist, while Zack Waldvogel was the team's high scorer, assisting on all three goals. Shawn Bowles and London Peel were responsible for Portage's two other goals.
Cole Hyrsky spearheaded Melfort's comeback bid with a goal and an assist. Travis Mayan was responsible for the team's other score.
Portage and Melfort will meet again in Saturday's semifinal. The Mustangs will undoubtedly hope their 2-0 win in the second and third period carries over.
May 13 Recap
The only game on the schedule for Wednesday's RBC Cup action supplied plenty of entertainment, as the Melfort Mustangs defeated the Carleton Place Canadians 4-3 in the first overtime affair of the tournament.
Cole Hyrsky assisted on Adam Fauchoux's equalizer with just over four minutes left in the third period, proceeding then to light the lamp for the game-winner at the 5:36 mark in overtime.
It was a gutsy effort by Carleton Place. Despite being out-shot 50-27, the Canadians hung tough and got a tremendous effort from goaltender Guillaume Therien. His play between the pipes almost allowed Carleton Place to escape with a third win in four games in regulation. Melfort's relentless attack didn't relent, though.
Since falling to Penticton Vees by a score of 4-0 in the opener, these Mustangs have really picked up the slack by netting nine goals in their two wins since. That response to adversity bodes well the rest of the way.
The Portage Terriers are up next for Melfort. Although Portage lost 3-0 to Carleton Place in its tournament opener, it has rebounded well from its own shutout loss to start, exploding for seven goals in Tuesday's win over the Soo Thunderbirds.
It will be interesting to see how Melfort responds with a quick turnaround to Thursday's showdown with Portage. At least Carleton Place can take solace in the fact that it still secured a point and will play in the semifinals on Saturday.
May 12 Recap
Tuesday was a good day for the Penticton Vees and Portage Terriers, as both came away with wins at the 2015 RBC Cup.
Penticton came back from a 2-1 deficit after the first period to earn a 4-3 triumph over the Carleton Place Canadians, scoring three straight goals in the second and third periods. Steen Cooper had one goal and one assist, while Dante Fabbro turned in two assists to lead the way. Each of Penticton's four goals were scored by a different player.
The defense also came up with a number of strong stops, as Hunter Miska was forced to see only 18 shots. He stopped just enough with 15, overcoming a shaky first period to hold onto the lead late.
Andy Sturtz was the best player on the ice for Carleton Place, scoring a goal and adding an assist. Five different Canadians were credited with at least one point.
In the day's other matchup, Portage was dominant from the outset in a 7-2 romp over the Soo Thunderbirds. Brad Bowles had a hat trick and added an assist to be the game's top star, while four other players added a goal in the dominant showing.
Portage peppered Soo goaltender Mario Culina for 30 shots while forcing their own netminder, Zac Robidoux, to see just 17. Soo got goals from Eric Hillock and Anthony Miller in what was otherwise an embarrassing loss.
May 11 Recap
The Melfort Mustangs did most of their heavy lifting in the first period against the Soo Thunderbirds on the way to a 5-3 victory Monday night. The final score was closer than the actual game, although the Thunderbirds did make things somewhat interesting down the stretch.
Adam Fauchoux scored the first goal in the first period, and Regan Wilton and Eric Young followed with two more for Melfort. All three goals came within two minutes of each other, and it inspired Soo to pull goaltender Brian Kment in favor of Mario Culina.
Culina was much more effective and allowed two goals on 22 shots compared to the three Kment gave up in 10 shots.
Melfort wasted little time pouring it on in the second period when Travis Mayan scored less than two minutes after the first intermission. The game appeared to be over, even after Soo scored a few minutes later. Dexter Bricker added another goal for the Mustangs to push the overwhelming lead to 5-1 after two periods.
The Thunderbirds did score twice in the final frame, but they also only shot the puck four times in those last 20 minutes. The efficiency was impressive, but there was little chance they would complete a four-goal comeback without mustering up a few more quality looks at the back of the net.
Melfort picked up its first win of the tournament and now sits in a three-way tie for second place with the Penticton Vees and Portage Terriers. The next couple of games are critical in terms of creating separation in the standings.
As for Soo, it is looking up at every other team in the tournament at 0-2 and needs to turn things around quickly, otherwise it will be a disappointing early exit.
May 10 Recap
Both games on Sunday were rather one-sided, featuring a combined score of 7-0. The Penticton Vees easily dispatched the Melfort Mustangs 4-0, and the Canadians followed up with a 3-0 win over the Terriers.
On Saturday, Guillaume Therien pitched a shutout for the Canadians as they dominated the Soo Thunderbirds in a 4-0 win. On Sunday, Therien was up to his old tricks, saving all 13 shots from the Terriers.
According to Andrew Foote of the Central Canada Hockey League, it's the first time Therien recorded back-to-back shutouts since joining Carleton Place:
Therien deflected credit for his performance after the game.
"They're thinking defense before offense and I think that's what's making us successful," he said of his teammates, per Matthew Hermiz of the Portage Daily Graphic. "I just have to make one save and they get all the rebounds. If you play defense first you're going to win championships. That's how it's gotta be done."
Owen Stewart, Stephen Baylis and Bryce Van Horn were responsible for the goals. Stewart gave the Canadians a 1-0 lead in the second period, while Baylis and Van Horn provided insurance in the third.
The Terriers could arguably consider themselves lucky they only lost by three goals. The Canadians had 10 power-play opportunities and failed to convert any of them. Portage's penalty kill was on point, but it never should have allowed Carleton Place to have that many chances with a man advantage.
The Canadians are the only team that remains unbeaten through two days.
Earlier in the day, the Vees rebounded well from their opening-night loss to Portage. They turned around the next day and outshot the Mustangs 30-17. Penticton jumped on Melfort early, going ahead 2-0 in the first period and never letting up from there.
Matthew Serratore opened the scoring and was followed by Jack Ramsey. Connor Chartier scored a power-play goal in the second period, and Tyson Jost firmly put the game out of reach with his third-period tally.
Vees broadcaster Fraser Rodgers felt the team built a lot of momentum as it takes a break Monday:
"We've had a tendency of being able to come back after a loss all season long," said Penticton coach Fred Harbinson, per Hermiz. "Our guys followed the game plan well and part of it was trying to put pressure on Melfort's (defense)."
The win put the Vees second in the standings, while the Mustangs are anchored at the bottom. With a lot of time still left in the tournament, Penticton shouldn't start looking ahead to the semifinals, while Melfort shouldn't prepare for its eventual exit.
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