Memorial Cup 2015: Daily Results, Updated Standings, Schedule and More
Four teams, three leagues and one cup equals an opportunity for national bragging rights.
The 2015 Memorial Cup is a showdown for Canadian supremacy, and it pits the QMJHL champion Rimouski Oceanic, the OHL champion Oshawa Generals, the WHL champion Kelowna Rockets, and QMJHL finalists and host Quebec Remparts against each other in Quebec City.
The Remparts may not boast the championship that the others do, but they took the Oceanic to double overtime in the seventh game of the QMJHL President Cup Final.
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The four teams play round-robin games (each squad plays each other once) before a semifinal showdown between the second- and third-place teams. The winner of that advances to play the first-place team in the championship.
If two squads tie for a playoff spot, there is a sudden-death game to advance to the semifinals. The more detailed tiebreaking scenarios are listed on the event’s official website.
Damien Cox of Sportsnet.ca pointed out just how close this year’s Memorial Cup could be with these competitors:
"As the 97th MasterCard Memorial Cup dawns, this much seems clear: it’s too close to call.
...
Few can accurately take a snapshot of the four-team field here in La Vieille Capitale and confidently say which team should be favoured.
...
This quartet of hockey clubs are about as closely bunched as you can imagine.
"
Anyone can win this, so make sure you check back here throughout the event for daily results, standings updates and recaps.
Schedule and Results
| Friday, May 22 | Kelowna vs. Quebec | 4-3, Quebec |
| Saturday, May 23 | Rimouski vs. Oshawa | 4-3, Oshawa |
| Sunday, May 24 | Quebec vs. Oshawa | 5-4, Oshawa |
| Monday, May 25 | Rimouski vs. Kelowna | 7-3, Kelowna |
| Tuesday, May 26 | Oshawa vs. Kelowna | 2-1, Oshawa |
| Wednesday, May 27 | Quebec vs. Rimouski | 4-0, Rimouski |
| Thursday, May 28 | Quebec vs. Rimouski | 5-2, Quebec |
| Friday, May 29 | Kelowna vs. Quebec | 9-3, Kelowna |
| Sunday, May 31 | Oshawa vs. Kelowna | 2-1 Oshawa |
Standings
| 1 | Oshawa Generals | 3-0-0 | 6 |
| 2 | Kelowna Rockets | 1-2-0 | 2 |
| 2 | Quebec Remparts (advanced with tie-breaker win) | 1-1-1 | 2 |
| 2 | Rimouski Oceanic | 1-2-0 | 2 |
Sunday Update: Oshawa Generals 2, Kelowna Rockets 1 (OT)
From the start of the Memorial Cup, no team was better than the Oshawa Generals. It's only fitting that they captured the title Sunday night with an overtime victory over the Kelowna Rockets.
Anthony Cirelli scored the winning goal a minute and 28 seconds into the first OT, giving Oshawa its deserved win. Sportsnet posted a highlight of the goal, which may not be available to view for all fans:
Nashville Predators left wing James Neal offered a hearty congratulations to the champions:
This is the Generals' first Memorial Cup win since 1990. Chris Creamer of SportsLogos.Net harkened back to simpler times:
The Memorial Cup final didn't begin well for Oshawa as Tomas Soustal gave Kelowna a 1-0 lead 15:08 into the first period. But then Cirelli came to the rescue 13:50 into the second period as he tied the game at 1-1.
The performance of Ken Appleby can't go unnoticed. The Generals were outshot 38-26, but time and again, Appleby stepped up to make crucial saves. His play was particularly vital in the second period, when the Rockets owned much of the advantage.
Cirelli will rightfully get a lot of credit for the win. After all, he scored both of Oshawa's goals. However, Brendan Ross of McKeen's Hockey likely isn't the only one considering the 20-year-old the most valuable to his team:
Ross added that Appleby will likely garner interest from NHL teams come draft time:
Considering it had been 25 years since the team last won a Memorial Cup, Generals fans won't have any trouble soaking in Sunday's victory. And Cirelli won't have to buy another drink in Oshawa ever again, when he's legally allowed to consume alcohol of course.
Friday Update: Kelowna Rockets 9, Quebec Remparts 3
The Quebec Remparts scored the first goal of Friday's Memorial Cup semifinals showdown. Then things went downhill.
Quickly.
The Kelowna Rockets buried the game's next five goals on the way to a dominant 9-3 victory over the Remparts. Next up is a championship showdown with the undefeated Oshawa Generals Sunday.
It looked promising for Quebec after that initial goal from Adam Erne, but it was clear fatigue played somewhat of a factor. This was the third game in three days for the host team, and it simply had no answer when the Rockets got the offense going late in the first period and throughout the second period.
In all, Justin Kirkland and Rourke Chartier both scored two goals apiece for the victorious Rockets, while goaltender Jackson Whistle made 18 saves and maintained the momentum from his team's offensive surge in the second period. In fact, Whistle did not allow another goal after that first one until the third period, and the game was well in hand by then.
The raucous home crowd for the Remparts was not happy with the proceedings and made their voices heard in the second period when they littered the ice with debris. CHL reporter Kathryn Jean shared a highlight of the crowd's reaction, and Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star passed along a picture of the cleaning crew:
Kelowna has not taken home a Memorial Cup title since 2004, but the Generals have suffered through an even longer drought. Oshawa's last championship was 1990, and something will have to give Sunday.
The Generals beat the Rockets 2-1 earlier in the tournament and have made a living off one-goal deficits. That certainly puts plenty of pressure on the defense (and their fans who are sitting on the edge of their seats), but the formula has worked in every game this year.
If it happens one more time, the Generals will run the table to a Memorial Cup title.
Thursday Update: Quebec Remparts 5, Rimouski Oceanic 2
One day after a 4-0 loss at the hands of their archrivals, the Quebec Remparts bounced back with a critical 5-2 win over the Rimouski Oceanic in the round-robin tiebreaker showdown. Goaltender Zachary Fucale came through with a brilliant performance with 30 saves, and the Quebec offense came to life late in the second period.
The Remparts needed a quick start after Wednesday's embarrassing effort, and that is exactly what they received when Jerome Verrier buried his first of two goals late in the first period. The opportunity came on a power play, and Sportsnet shared the highlight:
From there, the two teams battled back and forth and found themselves tied at two goals apiece with less than four minutes remaining in the second period. Quebec left little doubt down the stretch, though, as Adam Erne, Verrier and Marc-Olivier Roy all scored to close the game with a 5-2 victory.
Sportsnet passed along what proved to be the game-clinching goal from Erne after a devastating mistake from the Rimouski defense:
Next up for the Memorial Cup hosts is a semifinals clash with the Kelowna Rockets Friday. The winner of that game will play the well-rested Oshawa Generals in Sunday's championship.
It is a tall task ahead of Quebec, but the only way it can win the Memorial Cup is with three consecutive do-or-die victories. It picked up the first one and enacted some revenge against its rival Thursday.
Wednesday Update: Rimouski Oceanic 4, Quebec Remparts 0
Take a bow, Michael Joly.
The Rimouski Oceanic's offense basically came from the stick of Joly during their 4-0 victory over the Quebec Remparts. Joly ended up with a goal and three assists and was simply too much for goaltender Zach Fucale to handle for much of Wednesday evening.
On the other end, Oceanic goaltender Philippe Desrosiers posted a 27-save shutout, which was more than enough given the defensive struggles of the Remparts.
The loss was one thing, but Quebec watched forwards Anthony Duclair and Jerome Verrier leave due to injuries in the third period. What's more, the Remparts pulled Fucale late in the contest when the result was well in hand.
Joly's performance was critical because the Oceanic did not have star goal scorer Anthony DeLuca on the ice due to illness. Naturally, DeLuca's replacement, Justin Samson, scored the first goal of the game and set the tone for the rest of the contest.
Sportsnet shared a highlight of what proved to be the winning goal:
Next up for these two teams is a rematch in the round-robin tiebreaker game. The winner of that will face the Kelowna Rockets on Friday for the right to play the Oshawa Generals in Sunday's final. Tiebreaker scenarios are filled with enough drama as it is, but Quebec and Rimouski are from the same league and have already played each other 18 times this season.
These rivals will battle for their Memorial Cup lives on Thursday.
Regardless of who advances, these additional games will certainly benefit Oshawa in Sunday's championship match. It will be well-rested while the rest of the field battles for the right to even play in the final.
Tuesday Update: Oshawa Generals 2, Kelowna Rockets 1
The Oshawa Generals are the unstoppable force in the Memorial Cup, but they aren't making things easy on their fans' nails.
Oshawa won by a single goal for the third consecutive game and clinched a spot in the tournament's championship. This time, it came against the Kelowna Rockets to the tune of 2-1, thanks largely to the efforts of goaltender Ken Appleby.
Appleby saved 20 of 21 shots throughout the game and held the Rockets scoreless in the third period despite 11 shots and multiple power-play opportunities. In fact, Dakota Mermis and Cole Cassels both committed penalties in the final five minutes of the game, but it didn't matter because Appleby was the best player on the ice.
Every goal in the showdown came in the second period, with Tobias Lindberg and Cassels scoring for the Generals and Gage Quinney finding the back of the net for the Rockets.
The best part of the victory for the Generals is the four days of rest before the Memorial Cup final. The period of rest allows them to take care of any lingering injuries and guarantees that they will be the fresher team in the title contest.
As for the Rockets, they are likely headed to the semifinals and could eventually get another shot at Oshawa.
The only real question for the undefeated Generals is whether their formula of controlling possession but not capitalizing with enough goals to decisively put away the competition will work all the way through the Memorial Cup. They have played with fire throughout the tournament and still have a zero in the loss column, thanks to Appleby.
All he has to do is turn in one more incredible game, and the Generals will be the champions.
Monday Update: Kelowna Rockets 7, Rimouski Oceanic 3
The Kelowna Rockets never left a doubt Monday.
The Rockets steamrolled the Rimouski Oceanic to the tune of 7-3 and walked away with their first victory of the Memorial Cup. The Oceanic must now beat Quebec in their next game to remain alive in the tournament, but Monday's performance was all about the Kelowna offense.
Leon Draisaitl, Nick Merkley and Gage Quinney all scored two goals apiece, which prompted this comment from Draisaitl, per the Canadian Press (via CBC.ca):
"It's nice to show the hockey world what we're capable of. We played, in my opinion, one of the worst games we played all year against Quebec.
It's nice to get everybody going, get a few guys on the scoresheet and show the world that we're better than we were against the Remparts.
"
The Oceanic tried switching goaltenders after their first defeat, but it was to no avail. Louis-Philip Guindon gave up five goals on Kelowna's first 22 shots and was promptly pulled in the second period. This has been a tournament to forget thus far for the Oceanic, and the defensive and goaltending issues reared their ugly head throughout Monday's contest.
As for the Rockets, they now get a chance at the 2-0 Oshawa Generals in their final round-robin game. A victory would not only be critical in the standings, it would give them plenty of confidence moving forward since Oshawa has looked so dominant for stretches at this Memorial Cup.
Sunday Update: Oshawa Generals 5, Quebec Remparts 4 (OT)
Yet another high-scoring contest unfolded Sunday between the two teams that came away with wins in their openers, but Oshawa got a late goal in regulation and pulled it out in overtime to improve to 2-0.
Michael McCarron drew first blood for the Generals, seizing momentum early by scoring just two minutes, 18 seconds into the game. When Quebec's Raphael Maheux responded with an equalizer at 5:43, McCarron set up Michael Dal Colle's second goal of the Memorial Cup with 7:20 remaining in the opening period.
The two clubs traded punches in that manner throughout, until the final period, when Dmytro Timashov lit the lamp twice for the Remparts and put them on top 4-3.
But Dal Colle left his mark again on a late power play, notching a secondary assist for Tobias Lindberg's tying tally with only 2:09 left in regulation. Then a scoreless gridlock unfolded for most of the overtime period until Cole Cassels notched a second straight assist, with Stephen Desrocher netting the game-winner with 1:53 left.
"Great job by Cassels," Desrocher said after his decisive goal, per the Memorial Cup's official website. "He got us control and I had to work my way around one guy and I just shot it. I didn't even know where it was going to be honest."
A lot of credit goes to Zachary Fucale of Quebec, whose side was outshot by Oshawa 50-25. TSN's Steve Lloyd took notice:
Until the closing minutes of the third, Fucale was playing well enough for his team to win, but the Remparts couldn't close the deal.
If Fucale can maintain his form in net and Quebec can grind like it did Sunday, it has a strong chance of continuing to compete at a high level. Scoring hasn't been a problem for any team in the Memorial Cup so far, so goaltending could be a big edge for Sunday's losing side.
Next up for the Remparts is a matchup with Rimouski on Wednesday. There will be plenty of time for Quebec to rest after coming out on the wrong end of a testing, gritty contest. Oshawa seeks to improve to 3-0 against Kelowna on Tuesday with a semifinal berth already in hand.
Saturday Update: Oshawa Generals 4, Rimouski Oceanic 3
The Rimouski Oceanic had an answer for every charge from the Oshawa Generals except the last one.
Hunter Smith buried the go-ahead and ultimate winning goal into the back of the net with less than 11 minutes remaining in the game, and the Generals held on for a dramatic 4-3 victory in each team's first Memorial Cup contest.
The Generals actually scored the first two goals of the game within the opening 10 minutes and appeared to be well on their way to a straightforward victory. However, the Oceanic bounced back with two goals within 40 seconds of each other near the end of the first period. The game was tied at two heading to intermission, and Oshawa needed to regroup after a disappointing stretch.
That is exactly what it did on the way to a 13-5 shot advantage in the second period. Stephen Desrocher finally broke through with a go-ahead goal off a faceoff win and assist from Cole Cassels, and Ottawa once again established control.
As was the case early, the Oceanic recovered with an equalizer in the opening four minutes of the third period off a power-play goal from Jan Kostalek.
Both teams missed opportunities in the middle of the third period, but Smith scored the game-winner off his own rebound to create some separation between Oshawa and Rimouski in the standings after the first set of round-robin games.
Friday Update: Quebec Remparts 4, Kelowna Rockets 3
The Quebec Remparts wasted little time taking advantage of home ice in the Memorial Cup.
Quebec shocked the Kelowna Rockets Friday in the opening tilt of the event with a 4-3 victory. Defenseman Ryan Graves buried a critical goal early in the third period to open up a 3-1 lead, and the Remparts never looked back.
Kelowna did cut the deficit to 3-2 when Gage Quinney scored, but Adam Erne answered with Quebec's fourth goal of the game. The Rockets scored one more time with less than a minute remaining, but the game was essentially over at that point.
Ryan Pyette of the London Free Press noted that part of the problem for Kelowna was its inability to avoid costly penalties. Leon Draisaitl received a 10-minute misconduct and Graves found the back of the net during that stretch.
The Remparts were fresh off their Game 7 loss in the Quebec league final, but Erne believed that disappointment fueled the quick start at the Memorial Cup, per Pyette:
"If we would've won, it probably would've been more difficult. If you lose, you're hungry to win. These guys (the Rockets, Oceanic and Oshawa) have already won. It's hard for them to focus and get back on track. For us, we want to get going again. The other teams really haven't felt what we've felt.
It still stings for us, and we're going to use it as motivation.
"
Quebec received timely goaltending from Zachary Fucale, who stopped 26 of 29 shots, and clutch goals every time the Rockets threatened.
That type of resilience is necessary to compete over a long and grueling event, and the Remparts created critical separation between themselves and the Rockets after a single day.
If the fans see that offensive and goaltending combination for the rest of the tournament (to go along with the advantage of playing at home), Quebec will make some noise at the Memorial Cup. It may not be a league champion like the other three teams, but it certainly looked the part Friday.
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