[ad_1]


Hamilton Bulldogs Mason McTavish, 23, is double teamed by Saint John Sea Dogs’ Jeremie Poirier, 54, and Yan Kuznetsov, 2, through very first interval CHL Memorial Cup hockey finals action, in Saint John, N.B., Wednesday, June 29, 2022. THE CANADIAN Press/Ron Ward
SAINT JOHN, N.B. — The Saint John Sea Canine turned a devastating playoff reduction into a Memorial Cup championship, many thanks to renewed aim, 40 days of sweat and a university coach who pushed all the right buttons.
Regarded a extensive shot at the beginning of the Canadian Hockey League championship because of to a very first-round reduction in the Quebec Significant Junior Hockey League playoffs, the Memorial Cup host Sea Puppies downed the Hamilton Bulldogs 6-3 in Wednesday’s final.
Saint John scored two times in the 1st six minutes of both equally the 1st and next periods and rode the emotion of a sellout crowd to get the championship for the next time in its 17-yr background.
It was one more nationwide title for Gardiner MacDougall, a 7-time College Cup winner with the College of New Brunswick, who changed Gordie Dwyer as head coach on May well 22 and was credited for the revamped enthusiasm inside the crew that went 47-17-1-3 in the regular year before a spectacular playoff loss to the Rimouski Oceanic in May possibly.
“It was just a finish staff work,” claimed MacDougall. “The players are most essential. They definitely purchased in and they ended up all so receptive. This is as really hard as I have ever labored a workforce.”
Cam MacDonald had a purpose and an assist for the champions, though Josh Lawrence, Peter Reynolds and William Dufour — the tournament’s most precious player — experienced 1 of just about every. Captain Vincent Sevigny rounded out the scoring for Saint John.
“It makes it much more special for the reason that everyone considered we were being the underdogs, not the Sea Canine,” stated Scott McCain, who’s owned the team given that 2005. “You know what? We proved we deserved to be listed here. We were being the very best crew in the spherical robin and we gained this recreation decisively these days.”
Anaheim Ducks prospect Mason McTavish, with two plans, and Jan Mysak answered for the Bulldogs, who superior to the closing with a 4-3 overtime above Shawinigan in Monday’s semifinal.
Saint John goaltender Nikolas Hurtubise, acquired by the Sea Dogs at the QMJHL trade deadline, posted his third victory of the tournament with 25 saves.


Saint John Sea Puppies gamers Jeremie Poirier, left to correct, Yan Kuznetsov, Charlie DesRoches, Nathan Drapeau and Thomas Couture get started to celebrate as the clock winds down in the 3rd time period to earn the 2022 Memorial Cup in opposition to the Hamilton Bulldogs in Saint John, N.B., Wednesday, June 29, 2022. THE CANADIAN Press/Ron Ward
“We have worked so really hard and I am so, so very pleased,” said Hurtubise. “We realized that we worked also really hard in the earlier thirty day period to not earn it. We acquired it.”
Hamilton’s Marco Costantini stopped 21 of 26 pictures in the loss.
The Sea Pet dogs also received the Memorial Cup in 2011. Their get on Wednesday marks the sixth time a QMJHL team has won the Memorial Cup in the very last 10 tournaments.
The 2020 and 2021 Memorial Cup gatherings had been cancelled since of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hamilton was building its next Memorial Cup physical appearance after advancing to the 2018 semifinals where they fell to the Regina Pats.
The Sea Pet dogs defeated the Bulldogs 5-3 in the opening activity of the tournament and made use of the exact script Wednesday, scoring early.
Sevigny accepted a feed from Toronto Maple Leafs prospect William Villeneuve and his blast strike the stick of Hamilton’s Arber Xhekaj and whipped earlier Costantini 2:35 into the recreation.
“It is incredible,” Sevigny said. “It was a whole lot of challenging function and the work paid out off. To have this is the most effective working day of our lives.”
Just about a few minutes later on, Villeneuve manufactured a further slick go on the appropriate facet boards and hit MacDonald in the slot. He built no miscalculation when he wristed a speedy shot to defeat Costantini at the 5:47 mark.
McTavish picked up his fifth of the match when he redirected a Nathan Staios shot previous Hurtubise at 7:45 to calm the group and give Hamilton a substantially required injection of offence.
Bezeau — a ahead from Rothesay, N.B., who started attending Sea Dogs video games at age 5 — patiently held the puck on a rush down the suitable aspect right before connecting on a wrist shot 4:41 into the 2nd.
Dufour, who led the match with 7 aims, ripped a feed from Ryan Francis 5:15 into the time period to give the Sea Puppies a 4-1 direct.
Hamilton authorized several other golden prospects but arrived inside of two ambitions when Mysak had a Gavin White shot look off him and earlier Hurtubise with nine seconds still left in the time period.
Lawrence put the Sea Canine on the brink of the title with a sharp shot to the top corner on a feed from Dufour on a electrical power perform 6:32 into the 3rd.
McTavish added his 2nd of the night time with 4:57 remaining on the recreation clock.
Reynolds fired a puck into an vacant to seal the earn at 18:43.
“The information to the boys was they are a winner of champions,” mentioned Hamilton coach Jay McKee. “What made the variation is (Saint John) capitalized on their significant prospects.”
Saint John acquired the bye to the ultimate with two wins and an additional time reduction to the Western Hockey League’s Edmonton Oil Kings in preliminary motion.
The Bulldogs received the Ontario Hockey League championship to progress to the Memorial Cup but dropped their first two online games of the preliminary round to set up a series of do-or-die contests, beginning with a 4-2 victory against the Oil Kings.
In a thrilling semifinal on Monday, Mysak scored 10:08 into overtime to elevate Hamilton past the Shawinigan Cataractes 4-3.
Despite Wednesday’s reduction, the Bulldogs attained their OHL championship and are proud of the operate at the Memorial Cup, stated Staios, the CHL’s defenceman of the year.
“It took two months of war to get to it,” he mentioned. “We beat each and every championship staff here. We defeat the WHL, we beat the QMJHL, so (it) stings but you know, we’re proud of ourselves. We are likely to keep our heads large.”
This report by The Canadian Push was first revealed June 29, 2022.
