KAMLOOPS | The Quebec Remparts won the Memorial Cup for the third time in their history.
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Here are the highlights of this historic match.
3e period
0:00 : Victory of the Remparts by the score of 5 to 0!
2:00 : AIM! Charles Savoie is 5-0 Quebec. What domination of the Remparts!
4:04 : AIM! Zachary Bolduc makes it 4-0. The Remparts at 4:04 from the Memorial Cup!
7:36 : AIM! Huge goal from Kassim Gaudet in numerical inferiority.
8:45 : Mikaël Huchette is awarded a penalty for double failure. Seattle is on the power play.
11:43 : Justin Robidas hits the horizontal bar, a second for the Red Devils.
12:40 : A brilliant passing game for the T-Birds in Quebec territory, but the shot misses the target.
15:30 : An excellent game defender James Malatesta again tonight. He is fast, committed, physical and dangerous.
DIDIER DEBUSSCHERE/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
17:00 : The defense of the Remparts is still solid. Patrick Roy’s troupe does not panic.
20:00 : The last twenty begins in Kamloops.
2e period
0:00 : The 2nd period has just ended and the Remparts are still leading 2-0.
5:25: Théo Rochette touches the horizontal bar.
6:00 : The Thunderbirds are playing with fire. Reid Schaefer sends the puck off the ice.
10:00 : The defensive game of the Old Capital team is impassable.
DIDIER DEBUSSCHERE/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
11:00 : AIM! The defender of the Remparts recovers a few seconds later. 2-0 Quebec!
DIDIER DEBUSSCHERE/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
11:30 : Big save from Milic on Malatesta, who had escaped.
12:13 : Two penalties given to each side. Teams play 4 vs 4
19:32 : Very good opportunity for the Red Devils to start the second period.
20:00 : The second period starts at 4 against 4.
1st period
After quarter days off, we have to admit that rust was not a factor for the Remparts at the start of the game. Patrick Roy’s men were the better of the two teams in the first half of the engagement, creating several scoring chances. The first came from the stick of Pier-Olivier Roy who, after escaping, was unable to outsmart Thomas Milic. A few moments later, it was the turn of Nathan Gaucher and Kassim Gaudet to find themselves alone in front of the T-Birds goalkeeper, but without success.
DIDIER DEBUSSCHERE/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
By dint of creating excess numbers, the Remparts finally managed to open the scoring when Gaudet came in two against one with Vsevolod Komarov, to whom he handed over before seeing the Russian defender hit the target. Nathan Gaucher was also an accomplice on the first goal of the Buffalo Sabers prospect tournament.
The pre-game
The Remparts have been building their team for this moment for five years and they will have the opportunity to conclude with the most prestigious trophy in Canadian junior hockey. Here are five things to know before this final duel.
1. The Remparts could write the history of the tournament
With a victory over the Thunderbirds, the Quebec Remparts would confirm a fourth consecutive national title for the QMJHL, after those of Acadie-Bathurst (2018), Rouyn-Noranda (2019) and Saint-Jean (2022). It would be the first time in the modern era of this tournament that a circuit has won the Memorial Cup four times in a row.
Didier Debusschere / Le Journal de Quebec
2. Conquering the Triple Crown
It would not be the only brand that the Remparts are attacking. With a victory, they would become only the tenth team in QMJHL history to win the triple crown (regular season championship, playoff championship and Memorial Cup title).
The other nine before them are as follows:
Quebec Remparts (1970-1971)
Cornwall Royals (1971-1972)
Cornwall Royals (1980-1981)
Granby Predators (1995-1996)
Hull Olympics (1996-1997)
Rimouski Oceanic (1999-2000)
St. John’s Sea Dogs (2010-2011)
Halifax Mooseheads (2012-2013)
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (2018-2019)
3. The Last Dance
The Remparts are at the end of their journey. We also invite you to read our report on how this training was built, here. Several players will leave after the season.
This will be the case for the three 20-year-old players, Théo Rochette, Pier-Olivier Roy and Nicolas Savoie, as well as several 19-year-old players who will make the leap to the professionals: Zachary Bolduc, Nathan Gaucher, James Malatesta, Justin Robidas and Evan Nause, in particular.
Didier Debusschere / Le Journal de Quebec
The captain of the Quebec Remparts, Théo Rochette, is living his last moments with the team, as are several of his teammates.
4. Everyone is healthy
The Remparts benefited from four days of rest before the final, which means that everyone is able to take part in the match. Charles Savoie and Thomas Darcy did not take part in the match against the Peterborough Petes on May 30.
Patrick Roy, however, confirmed later that it was a preventive measure because the meeting was no longer important for the Red Devils, who had already confirmed their place in the playoffs.
5. The Remparts are the only team to beat the Thunderbirds
Considered early favorites, the Seattle Thunderbirds only missed one game in the tournament and that was against the Remparts.
Didier Debusschere / Le Journal de Quebec
“To win a championship, we will have to beat them. That’s the reality. They are in the final and to win you have to beat the best. So far, they have been the best team in the tournament. To bring back the trophy, it is the team that we must defeat,” mentioned head coach Matt O’Dette on Saturday. You will read our text here.