The Seattle Thunderbirds are one win away from a Memorial Cup championship after eliminating the Peterborough Petes. They'll now face the Quebec Remparts.
The Memorial Cup final is set. The Quebec Remparts finally have their opponent now that the Seattle Thunderbirds defeated the Peterborough Petes 4-1 in the semifinal.
The Petes found themselves bending but not breaking early in the semifinal against the Thunderbirds. The first period featured more pressure and puck control on the Seattle side of things, with the Petes holding on by the hair of their chin. Michael Simpson was solid in net for Peterborough as Seattle found ways to move the puck quickly and use its speed through the neutral zone to beat the Petes' defenders.
The first period ended in near disaster as Tucker Robertson went to lay a hit on a Seattle player behind the net. As he rolled off the Thunderbirds player, his elbow came up and clipped teammate Avery Hayes in the chin. Hayes went down and looked to be dazed but left on his own power after a trainer came out to help him. Hayes would return for the second period, though.
The second frame began with Seattle controlling the pace of play. The Seattle Thunderbirds hit three posts, along with a number of miraculous saves from Simpson. The Petes were simply under fire.
It took until the Thunderbirds' 31st shot of the game just beyond the 15-minute mark of the second period to open the scoring. Brad Lambert smacked a loose puck at the side of the net toward the goal mouth, and despite hitting Simpson initially, it trickled between his legs and into the net. It wasn’t the prettiest goal, but after a slow start for the Seattle top line, they opened the scoring in the semifinal with their first goal of the tournament.
All in all, the Seattle Thunderbirds scored the lone goal through 40 minutes of action while sporting a 31-16 shot differential. Micheal Simpson was the only Pete that looked locked in. Peterborough was fortunate to be still in the game because of his effort.
The third period began with both teams trading chances. Seattle capitalized on poor defensive coverage by the Petes early as Colten Dach scored standing all alone in front of the net, burying a Kyle Crnkovic pass from in tight. The Thunderbirds looked as if they were about to run away with the game.
That was until the Petes decided they were going to continue being the squad that never dies, getting back within a goal about a minute later. With Seattle attempting to break out of its own zone, Brennan Othmann knocked the puck loose to Owen Beck high in the offensive zone. Othmann headed to the net, getting the return pass from Beck with all of the time in the world in front. A quick move, and the puck was behind Thomas Milic in the Seattle net. The Petes were back in the game.
They wouldn’t stop there. The next few minutes featured each team trading high-danger chances for high-danger chances. Both Simpson and Milic made a number of 10-bell saves while their respective defensive groups were running around with their hair on fire. The game was descending into chaos.
About halfway through the frame, Seattle capitalized on that very chaos.
With the puck worked to the front of the Peterborough net, Jared Davidson attempted to bang the puck home, but it was a late-arriving Crnkovic that tapped the puck across the line, sending it flipping through the air off Simpson’s pad and just barely crossing the line before the Petes netminder snagged it from inside the net.
The third period was the first with real pushback from the Petes, even after the Thunderbirds expanded their lead to two. They began forechecking harder, forcing mistakes and creating chances from high-danger areas. Milic was tasked with making a number of impressive stops in the crease.
With about two minutes to play, Nico Myatovic added an empty-net goal to put the Petes away. It was a valiant effort from Peterborough, but the Thunderbirds proved to be just too much. Their depth. Their speed. Their skill. Their precision. It was simply too much.
Quebec Awaits Seattle in the Memorial Cup Final on Sunday
The top-seeded Remparts were able to sit back, rest up and wait for their opponent, watching the Thunderbirds play their best hockey en route to the final. Patrick Roy’s squad was able to ensure their squad would be at full health – or as close to it at this stage of the season. That should be a major advantage for the Remparts.
The biggest advantage rest gives any team is that their goaltender wouldn’t be forced into playing multiple games in just a few days. William Rousseau has been a steadying presence for the Remparts, and the extra rest will allow him to come into the final with his body in a position to give everything it has in the final game of the CHL season.
Quebec is going to certainly need a big performance from Rousseau as the Remparts were outshot by a large margin in their first matchup with the Thunderbirds. If Rousseau is solid in net, the Remparts will be ahead of the game as their offensive group has players up and down the lineup that can score.
Columbus Blue Jackets prospect James Malatesta has been exceptional at the Memorial Cup, building on his QMJHL post-season where he won MVP honors. He leads the Quebec attack with his ability to be an instant scoring threat in a way that not many players can replicate. He has scored timely goals for the Remparts since their playoff run started, and a big performance in the Memorial Cup final would be a fitting end to his junior hockey career.
Remparts captain Theo Rochette will need to do everything in his power to help the team capture a title at the end of his junior career as well. The highly skilled playmaker has the passing ability that can help freeze a defense, which will be a major asset against Seattle’s incredibly mobile blueline. His offensive explosion over the last couple of seasons should earn him a pro contract, but a big-time performance on junior hockey’s biggest stage could put Rochette in a great position.
Seattle came into the CHL’s premier event as the favorite to win it all, but a loss in the round-robin to the Quebec squad forced the team to take the long road to their first-ever Memorial Cup finals appearance.
The loaded roster hasn’t quite seen their best players play their best as of yet. It’s now or never, though, for the Thunderbirds' top line of Brad Lambert, Dylan Guenther and Reid Schaefer. None of them have had a great tournament so far, but the semifinal could be the start they needed.
The Thunderbirds' back end has been among the most exciting in junior hockey this season. They have puck-movers that can make crisp and decisive breakout passes yet also have the understanding and recognition of how to escape pressure with their skating and exploit a forecheck if they are being a bit over-aggressive. They have the ability to attack in the offensive zone as well, stepping into space whenever given to them and showing skill as passers and playmakers from high in the zone.
The top forward line for Seattle got on the board for them in the semifinal, but prior to the Lambert goal, the top trio of Guenther and Schaefer had two assists each. They will need to be on their game against a fast and skilled Remparts squad if they want to push them offensively the way they did in their first meeting but this time with better results.
The secondary scoring for the Thunderbirds has come up clutch throughout the Memorial Cup, which has covered up for the top line's struggles. Colten Dach, Kyle Crnkovic and Jared Davidson have been huge for the Thunderbirds. Their blend of speed, work ethic and penchant for getting to the net have given the Thunderbirds an endless attack.
The Memorial Cup final is going to feature two of the most well-rounded and complete teams in all of the CHL. While the Thunderbirds possess more NHL-drafted talent, the Remparts have a boatload of experience throughout the lineup. This should be a great matchup and one that we may all remember for years to come, thanks to the high-end talent on both sides.
The QMJHL champions take on the WHL champions for CHL glory. That’s what makes this tournament so special. We could be in for a treat.