Memorial Cup Update #2

Hey guys! Curtis back again with the second update on the Mastercard memorial Cup.

Last time I checked in, all teams were tied at 1-1 heading into the final game of the round robin, which was, well, kind of crazy. Now those games are over, the semi-final is decided, we know one team who will be competing for the Cup, and we're one day away from knowing who they'll be playing.

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Game Threes:

London Knights vs Edmonton Oil Kings, May 22nd 2012

The Knights jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in this one and the Oil Kings never recovered. A goal from Keegan Lowe with only seconds left in the first period put them in good position to gain some momentum, but goals from Ryan Rupert (playing with identical twin brother Matt), Bo Horvat, Greg McKegg, and an empty-netter from Predators prospect (18th overall, 2010), shot-blocking stud, and former Memorial Cup Champion (Windsor, 2009) Austin Watson were too much for the WHL representatives. The Oil Kings spent a lot of time on the man advantage, including a lengthy 5-on-3 and a double minor for high-sticking, but their tournament-worst power play squandered their opportunities to get back in the game.

Shawinigan Cataractes vs St. John Sea Dogs, May 23rd 2012

I'm tempted to make some Cats vs Dogs comment, because this one will be mostly remembered for it's devolution into... well, let me just show you:

There was also a full-on Tortorella vs DeBoer standing-on-the-bench style showdown between Shawinigan coach Eric Veilleux and the St. John assistant coach to end the game. Both teams were fined for their actions. As for the actual game, the Sea Dogs had control from the beginning, taking the lead 4:19 into the game and never looking back. 2011 World Juniors standouts and first round picks Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida) and Nathan Beaulieu (Montreal) finished with 5 points between them, seeming to finally exert their dominance over the competition.

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If you remember back to my first update post, those results mean that the London Knights get the bye into the final to compete for the Memorial Cup, having last won it in 2005 against Sidney Crosby's Rimouski Oceanic. St. John guaranteed their spot in the Semi-Final, while Edmonton and Shawinigan were left to fight in a tiebreaker for who would join them.

Tiebreaker:

Edmonton Oil Kings vs Shawinigan Cataractes, May 24th 2012

The Oil Kings have introduced a ritual to their pre-game, where each players takes a poker chip (each marked with the player's number) and places it it on the team logo in the centre of the locker room to symbolize that they're "All In". I wanted to give that a shout-out here because I think it's probably one of the best traditions I've ever heard of. They would need to be All In for this one or they'd be headed home.

The Oil Kings looked to have the jump for the first couple shifts of this one but an early penalty swung the momentum in Shawinigan's favour. The Oil Kings are the lowest scoring team in this tournament by far, with the worst powerplay by far (running at around 7% to start the game) and that isn't a great combination for success. The Cataractes were up 2-0 by the end of the first, and it only went downhill from there. It was a night to forget for the Oil Kings. The Cataractes managed to score on the powerplay, at even strength, and even shorthanded throughout the night. Five Cataractes finished with a multi-point game. An ugly ending to a disappointing tournament for Edmonton.

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There you have it- The Cataractes will play their third game in three days tomorrow (Friday May 25th) in the Semi-Final, in a rematch against the Sea Dogs, to see who will play the London Knights in the 2012 Mastercard Memorial Cup final.