Cameron Reid opened the scoring and helped set up three more goals as Kitchener beat Everett 6-2 on Monday night in the Memorial Cup, improving to 2-0 and positioning the Rangers to secure a semifinal spot.
KELOWNA, British Columbia — Cameron Reid knew the game had turned when he cashed in early.
On a night when Kitchener needed momentum. the Rangers’ captain opened the scoring at 3:05 of the first period. firing home from the left boards. Everett struck back to square it up at 2 in the second. but Kitchener responded with a decisive burst that stretched across 4:37 — Reid assisting on goals by Christian Humphreys. Gabriel Chiarot and Jack Pridham to turn the game into a 5-2 advantage.
The final score — 6-2 on Monday night — carried more than just pride. Kitchener, the Ontario Hockey League champion, improved to 2-0 to wrap up a semifinal spot in the four-team tournament and set itself up to have a chance to advance straight to the final.
Reid’s influence didn’t end with his opening goal. The star defenseman, drafted 21st overall by Nashville last summer, assisted on all three goals during that deciding surge. Pridham also added a power-play goal in the first, while Cameron Arquette scored in the third.
For Everett, Rylan Gould had a goal and an assist. Matias Vanhanen also scored. Anders Miller stopped 22 shots, but the Silvertips couldn’t match Kitchener’s acceleration once the second period shifted.
Kitchener enters the closing stretch of the round-robin with confidence after a strong start. Christian Kirsch made 38 saves as the Rangers beat host Kelowna 5-0 on Friday night in their opener. Kirsch, a Quinnipiac University-bound player, was drafted by San Jose.
The schedule now tightens. Kitchener will close round-robin play Tuesday night against Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League champion Chicoutimi. In the final round-robin game, Western Hockey League champion Everett will face Kelowna on Wednesday night.
Everett is still alive in the tournament, too, after it beat Chicoutimi 5-3 on Saturday night.
There’s also a wider, restless backdrop for the tournament: the Seattle-area team is trying to become the fourth U.S. franchise to win the event, following the Portland Winterhawks in 1983 and 1998, Spokane Chiefs in 1991 and 2008, and the Saginaw Spirit in 2024.
For tonight. though. the focus stayed where it belonged — on the kind of play that turns a semifinal chase into a near certainty. In the second period. Kitchener’s Andrew MacNiel fought Jaxsin Vaughan during the three-goal run. a reminder that the Rangers weren’t just winning on the scoreboard; they were setting the tone as the gap opened.
Kitchener’s next move is clear. Win the last round-robin game, and the possibility of skipping ahead to the final only gets sharper.
Memorial Cup Kitchener Rangers Everett Silvertips Cameron Reid Christian Kirsch Kelowna ChicoUTIMI OHL