Sam O’Reilly and Jack Pridham helped the Kitchener Rangers take control early and hold it through a 6-2 Memorial Cup final win over the Everett Silvertips on Sunday in Kelowna, B.C., giving Kitchener its third title in franchise history.
KELOWNA, B.C. — Sam O’Reilly didn’t just light the scoreboard; he orchestrated it. The Kitchener Rangers forward finished with four points, including three assists, as the Ontario Hockey League champions hammered the Everett Silvertips 6-2 in the Memorial Cup championship on Sunday.
Jared Woolley scored what proved to be the winner. while Jack Pridham added his tournament-leading fifth goal as Kitchener pulled away for a repeat of their 6-2 win from Monday’s round-robin meeting. Christian Kirsch made 30 saves for the Rangers. who struck twice on a 5-on-3 power play to begin the third period after leading 2-1 and 3-1 at the breaks.
Luke Ellinas opened the scoring for Kitchener, and Dylan Edwards made it 2-1. The Rangers never trailed. Christian Humphreys rounded out the scoring with a short-handed empty-net goal. with Haeden Ellis and Cameron Reid adding two assists apiece for a club that stayed unbeaten through the tournament.
Kitchener earned a bye to the final and a four-day break by running the table in round-robin play. The Rangers also blanked the host Kelowna Rockets 5-0 in their opener last Friday, and they edged the QMJHL champion Chicoutimi Saguenéens 3-2 on Tuesday.
For Kitchener, it’s the third Memorial Cup in franchise history.
Everett did get replies. Matias Vanhanen and Carter Bear each scored their fourth goals of the tournament. and Vanhanen tied Pridham and O’Reilly for top scorer with eight points. Anders Miller stopped 26 shots for the Silvertips. who suffered their second defeat to Kitchener. with the WHL’s drought still reaching back to 2014 for the league’s last Memorial Cup win.
Landon DuPont, Everett’s exceptional status defender, carried plenty of the pressure throughout the week. He had a point in every game he played in Kelowna, assisting on both goals in the championship final. DuPont turned 17 on Thursday and finished the tournament with six points in four games — two goals. two primary assists. and two secondary assists.
He missed Everett’s round-robin finale on Wednesday with an undisclosed injury, but returned to score twice in their 6-1 semifinal win over Chicoutimi on Friday — showing how close Everett was, even as Kitchener kept finding another gear when the game swung in the Rangers’ favor.
Memorial Cup Kitchener Rangers Everett Silvertips Sam O’Reilly Jack Pridham Jared Woolley Christian Kirsch Anders Miller Landon DuPont OHL WHL Kelowna
6-2 again?? wow pretty sure refs were calling it easy for Kitchener.
I don’t really watch hockey but this says “unbeaten through the tournament” and “never trailed” so yeah they basically owned it. Also Memorial Cup is like Canada’s playoffs, right? Congrats to them I guess.
Wait so they won 6-2 and also had a 5-on-3 power play in the third… so like did the other team lose a guy? Kinda confusing how that worked but empty-net goal always feels like mercy points.
Memorial Cup repeat sounds rigged lowkey, like if they already beat them 6-2 in round-robin then how is it surprising again? Plus “tournament-leading fifth goal” for Pridham?? I mean I’m glad they scored but I feel like the WHL drought thing (2014) is just filler. Either way Christian Kirsch stopped 30 shots so Everett didn’t collapse completely.