The second game of the Memorial Cup between the Western Hockey League champion Everett Silvertips and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League champion Chicoutimi Saguenéens marked the first-ever appearance by Everett at the tournament, and they did not disappoint in their debut.
The Silvertips wasted no time opening the scoring as veteran forward Jesse Heslop scored just over a minute into the game to give Everett an early 1-0 lead. While Chicoutimi started the game slow they were able to find their game nine minutes into the period when forward Christophe Berthelot found the puck right in front of Silvertips goaltender Anders Miller, and buried it in the back of the net for both Chicoutimi’s first shot of the game and the tying goal. Both teams got more scoring chances but they both went into the intermission tied at one.
In the second frame, Miller came out of the net to play the puck, but an errant pass led to a Chicoutimi player getting a look at an empty net, however, Miller made a desperation save to keep the puck out of the net. Later in the period, Chicoutimi forward Alex Huang took a shot from the top of the circle, firing it off the bottom of the crossbar and into the net to give Chicoutimi their first lead of the game.
The Chicoutimi lead lasted only a mere 33 seconds before Silvertips forward Lukas Kaplan fired the puck between the legs of Chicoutimi goaltender Luca Beckman, which just snuck into the net. Several minutes later as Heslop was driving behind the net, he passed the puck behind him to Silvertips forward Zachary Shantz, who had an open net to fire it home to give Everett their lead back. The Silvertips added to their lead as forward Matia Vanhanen knocked the puck of a Chicoutimi player’s stick, which was then picked up by defenceman Landon DuPont and passed cross-crease to forward Carter Bear for a tap-in to give the Silvertips a 4-2 lead after two periods of play.
The third period saw little action until the last few minutes as Chicoutimi pulled the goalie with around three minutes left to play. The Saguenéens put on the pressure, but Everett gained control of the puck and sent a stretch pass to Carter Bear in what looked like a clean break, but the play was blown dead as Bear closed his hand on the puck, giving the Canadian Hockey League’s best power play an opportunity late in the game.
Chicoutimi kept their goalie on the bench for a six-on-four opportunity in which they wasted no time getting Maxim Masse the puck for a one-timed shot, which he blasted past Miller to make it a one-goal game. The power-play goal was all for naught as Chicoutimi pulled the goalie again before Vanhanen got a breakaway and deposited the puck into the net to seal a 5-3 Silvertips victory.
Chicoutimi head coach Yanick Jean said his team needs to have a short memory after giving up a goal.
“Maybe we were on our heels a bit at the start, but you know, we compete, and we kept going. We’re able to get better and better through the first period. We got a great start in the second, but I thought after their second goal, we really didn’t react well to it. So for me, it’s important that mentally we stay sharp. We forget, we put it behind. It happened to us in the playoffs. We were able to do so. So we’ve got to get better game in and game out.”
Everett defenceman Landon DuPont said despite facing an unfamiliar foe, the Silvertips played a good team game.
“I thought it was obviously the first game of the tournament for a lot of us; it’s our first Memorial Cup, and you don’t really know what to expect, obviously playing a team from the [QMJHL], but I think we handled them well. Came with a good push, we had our ups and downs, but ultimately I think we played a pretty solid game.”
DuPont added that despite being highly touted as the top prospect in the 2027 NHL draft and having lots of eyes on him, he doesn’t feel much pressure.
“I don’t think there’s any pressure. Um, you know, I’m just super happy and excited to be here. Such a great tournament, so well run, and for our team to have won the WHL championship and to solidify ourselves here is amazing and I’m just trying to enjoy every second of it.”
Chicoutimi is back in action tonight when they face off against the host Kelowna Rockets, with both teams seeking a bounce-back game, while the Silvertips will go up against the Ontario Hockey League champion Kitchener Rangers on Monday.
