Prospect Info: 2014 Memorial Cup - Nikita Zadorov/Brady Austin - London Knights

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Oil Kings Beat Foreurs In 3 OT To Reach Final - The Canadian Press - Sportsnet.ca - Friday, May 23.

London, Ontario - The Edmonton Oil Kings won the longest game in Memorial Cup history to reach Sunday’s final. After 102 minutes 42 seconds, Curtis Lazar’s deflection ended a marathon 4-3 triple overtime win over the Val-d’Or Foreurs in Friday’s semifinal. "It’s my first junior hockey overtime goal," the Ottawa Senators prospect said. "It’s pretty cool." Edmonton will face the unbeaten Guelph Storm in the championship game.

Lazar joked that at least he and his teammates wouldn’t get in trouble with coach Derek Laxdal for being out past their midnight curfew. The bad news was there was likely going to be no post-game pizza from their favourite joint. "I think they’re pretty disappointed because it’s closed now," the assistant captain said. The puck dropped at 7:18 p.m. and the game ended over four hours later at 11:30.

London is now the site of the two longest games in Cup history as the previous record was 95 minutes 41 seconds in 2005, when the Ottawa 67′s beat the Kelowna Rockets in double overtime.

Mads Eller, Mitch Moroz and Edgars Kulda also scored for Edmonton, while goalie Tristan Jarry stopped 46 shots. Val-d’Or defenceman Guillaume Gelinas scored with 36 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime. Phil Pietroniro and Randy Gazzola also scored for the Foreurs. Antoine Bibeau made 50 saves in the loss.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/oil-kings-beat-foreurs-in-3ot-to-reach-final/

Oil Kings Wear Down Foreurs To Earn Title Shot - Patrick King - Sportsnet.ca - Friday, May 23 -
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/oil-kings-wear-down-foreurs-to-earn-title-shot/

Rest Important More Than Ever For Oil Kings - Gare Joyce - Sportsnet.ca - Saturday, May 24 -
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/rest-important-more-than-ever-for-oil-kings/

Explosive Storm Set To Face Tenacious Oil Kings - The Canadian Press - Sportsnet.ca - Saturday, May 24 -
http://www.sportsnet.ca/2010/favoured-storm-meet-tenacious-oil-kings-for-cup/

Val-d’Or’s Mantha Named CHL Player Of The Year - The Canadian Press - Sportsnet.ca - Saturday, May 24 -
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/val-dors-mantha-named-chl-player-of-the-year/

 

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Game #8 - Memorial Cup Final - Guelph Storm (OHL Champions) vs Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL Champions) - Sunday, May 25 - 4:00 pm ET.
TV - LIVE - Canada - Sportsnet East, Ontario, West, Pacific. United States - NHL-Network.
Commentators - (Play By Play) RJ Broadhead - (Analyst) Sam Cosentino - (Host) - Rob Faulds.
Studio - Pre-Game/Intermissions/Post-Game - (Host) Jeff Marek - (Analysts) Nick Kypreos - John Shannon - Damien Cox.

Canadian Hockey League Announced 2013-2014 Winners - MastercardMemorialCup.a - Saturday, May 24.

London, Omtario - The Canadian Hockey League today announced the 10 national award winners for the 2013-14 season. The awards were presented as part of the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup festivities at The Grand Theatre in London, presented by The London Free Press.

2013-14 CHL Award Winners -

Sportsnet Player Of The Year - Anthony Mantha (Val-d’Or Foreurs).
Jack Link’s Top Prospect Of The Year - Sam Bennett (Kingston Frontenacs).
Chrysler Dodge Top Scorer - Connor Brown (Erie Otters).
SUBWAY Scholastic Player Of The Year - Connor McDavid (Erie Otters).
Cooper Tires Humanitarian Of The Year - Sam Fioretti (Moose Jaw Warriors).
AutoTRADER.ca Most Sportsmanlike Player Of The Year - Sam Reinhart (Kootenay Ice).
Old Dutch Brian Kilrea Coach Of The Year - Eric Veilleux (Baie-Comeau Drakkar).
BMO Rookie Of The Year - Nikolaj Ehlers (Halifax Mooseheads).
Vaughn Goaltender Of The Year - Jordon Cooke (Kelowna Rockets).
Arctic Spas Defenceman Of The Year - Derrick Pouliot (Portland Winterhawks).

http://www.mastercardmemorialcup.ca/article/chl-announces-2013-14-award-winners/162836

Edmonton With Chance For Revenge In Title Game - Patrick King - Sportsnet.ca - Sunday, May 25 -
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/edmonton-with-chance-for-revenge-in-title-game/

Who Is The Greatest Memorial Cup Champion? - Ryan Pyette - London Free Press - Sunday, May 25 -
http://www.lfpress.com/2014/05/24/who-is-the-greatest-memorial-cup-champion

 

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Game #8 - Memorial Cup Final Result - Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL Champions) 6 - Guelph Storm (OHL Champions) 3.
2014 Mastercard Memorial Cup Champions - Edmonton Oil Kings.

Oil Kings - Mastercard Memorial Cup Champions - MastercardMemorialCup.ca - Sunday, May 25.

London, Ontario - The Edmonton Oil Kings captured the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup with a 6-3 win over the Guelph Storm earning their first Championship title in modern franchise history. Henrik Samuelsson had a five-point performance notching two goals and three assists to take over the tournament scoring lead with eight points in five games. Edmonton brings a Memorial Cup back to the City of Champions for the first time since 1966 when the Oil Kings defeated the Oshawa Generals by a 4-2 score, and become the first WHL team to win since the 2008 Spokane Chiefs upended the Kitchener Rangers on home ice six years ago to the day.

“So proud of these guys,” said Head Coach Derek Laxdal. “The effort they put into tonight to beat an unbelievable team in Guelph, it just shows you what we’ve gone through all year. “We never gave up,” said Oil Kings captain Griffin Reinhart. “I think that’s been a theme of ours this year, we’ve been down before and we just kept climbing back up.” “We battled all year to get to this point,” said Henrik Samuelsson. “No better feeling than this, it’s amazing.”

The Storm opened the scoring in the Championship Final just one minute into the first period as Robby Fabbri finished off a nice three way passing play with a tap into a wide open net. The Oil Kings would tie the game at the 9:38 of the first period off of a power play goal as Cody Corbett’s blast through traffic beat Storm goaltender Justin Nichols. At the 16:36 mark of the first period, the Storm would regain their lead. Pius Suter would be denied on the breakaway, but Stephen Pierog deposited the rebound behind a down and out Oil Kings goaltender Tristan Jarry.

Down 2-1 in the second period, the Oil Kings responded with three unanswered goals from Tyler Robertson, Edgars Kulda, and Mitch Moroz to lead 4-2 at the end of 40 minutes. The Storm came flying out of the gates to start the third period with a Zack Mitchell goal at 3:23, but a goal from Samuelsson less than two minutes later would restore the two goal lead. Samuelsson sealed the victory with an empty net goal late at 18:34. The Oil Kings outshot the Storm 45-35 with Jarry making 32 saves in the win, and Nichols taking the loss with 39 stops. Kulda claimed MVP honours with seven points including a goal and two assists in the final earning the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy.

The loss marks a disappointing end to a tremendous season for the Storm who won their third Robertson Cup title as OHL champions following their best season in franchise history with 52 wins and 108 points. The Oil Kings also complete an impressive season where they finished first in the WHL's Eastern Conference with 50 wins and 103 points before winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions in a thrilling seven game series against the Portland Winterhawks to return to the MasterCard Memorial Cup for the second time in three years.

http://www.mastercardmemorialcup.ca/article/oil-kings-are-mastercard-memorial-cup-champions/162855

Game Summary - Boxscore - Memorial Cup Final - Oil Kings 6 Storm 3 - http://mastercardmemorialcup.ca/schedule/show/game/66886
Game Summary - Scoresheet - Memorial Cup Final - Oil Kings 6 Storm 3 - http://mastercardmemorialcup.ca/schedule/scoresheet/game/66886
Game Summary - Text Boxscore - Memorial Cup Final - Oil Kings 6 Storm 3 - http://mastercardmemorialcup.ca/schedule/text/game/66886
Game Highlights - Memorial Cup Final - Oil Kings 6 Storm 3 - http://mastercardmemorialcup.ca/video/index/id/a2453dedafc29515fcecb84e6dc20008
Photo Gallery - Memorial Cup Final - Oil Kings 6 Storm 3 - http://mastercardmemorialcup.ca/photo_gallery/gallery/id/7348

 

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Oil Kings Win Memorial Cup - Marc Ciampa - Oilkings.ca - Sunday, May 25.

London, Ontario - The Edmonton Oil Kings capped off an unbelievable and memorable season with a dramatic 6-3 win over the Guelph Storm in the Memorial Cup Final. It was a team that would never give up and would never fold despite having the odds stacked against them time and time again. From an astounding bounce-back win in Game 7 against the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL Final to Friday's inspiring triple-overtime win over Val d'Or, the Oil Kings simply would not be denied in 2014. The win was the first Memorial Cup in modern franchise history and third overall, with the team having won in 1963 and 1966 previously.

It only took Guelph a minute to get the game's first goal. Robby Fabbri intercepted a pass and the Storm came in on a three-on-one. After a nice three-way passing play, Fabbri converted, putting the puck into the open cage. Jason Dickinson took a penalty for holding the stick near the eight-minute mark, giving Edmonton its first power play of the afternoon and that's where the tide started to turn a bit in the first period.

Less than a minute into the man advantage, Curtis Lazar was hauled down in the neutral zone by Tyler Bertuzzi to put Edmonton on a five-on-three and it was there that they tied the game. The Oil Kings moved the puck around well with the extra two men on the ice, eventually setting up a Cody Corbett blast from the top of the left circle on a nice back-and-forth passing play with Henrik Samulesson. Corbett wired the puck past Guelph goaltender Justin Nichols.

Guelph started to take the game back late in the first. Jarry had to make an outstanding glove save off a wrist shot from the left circle by Zack Mitchell and then 30 seconds later, Stephen Pierog pounced on a rebound to put the puck into the open net past an outstretched Jarry to put the Storm back in the lead.

Oil Kings got back on even terms 1:58 into the second period. Tyler Robertson's shot beat Nichols as the fourth line came through with a big goal. Four minutes later, the Oil Kings nearly took the lead as Kieser and Lazar both had great looks at the net. Moments later, Scott Kosmachuk took an interference penalty to put Edmonton back on the power play. Only 16 seconds into the PP, Edmonton scored to take their first lead of the game. Edgars Kulda's shot went off the shoulder of Nichols and into the top of the net. Kulda was named Tournament MVP, with four goals and three assists with a plus-three rating. The Oil Kings then extended their lead to two goals at 4-2 with 5:41 to play in the middle frame. Mitch Moroz wired a shot high glove side from the left circle for his second goal of the tournament.

Guelph came out flying to start the third period and it paid off with a goal early in the final frame. Mitchell quickly tapped in a pass from behind the net by Kerby Rychel to make it 4-3. But Edmonton responded well after the goal. Less than two minutes later, Henrik Samuelsson ripped a shot glove side past Nichols after a nice centring pass by Kulda to put Edmonton back in front by two. Moroz got the other assist on the play to extend the lead to 5-3. Samuelsson added an empty-netter with 1:26 to play to clinch the victory.

http://www.oilkings.ca/article/oil-kings-win-memorial-cup

 

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Oil Kings Win Memorial Cup - Brendan Zwambag - GuelphStorm.com - Sunday, May 25.

It wasn't the ending that the Guelph Storm were looking for. The Edmonton Oil Kings captured the 2014 Memorial Cup Championship with a stunning 6-3 win over the OHL Champs. Edmonton used a strong second period to erase a one-goal deficit and then build their own two-goal lead en route to the cities third Major Junior title. Mitchell Moroz picked the top corner at 14:19 of the second period and the power forwards second of the tournament stood up as the game winner. It was the third time that Edmonton found the top portion of the net in the period after Tyler Robertson turned and fired glove side on a scrambled draw and Edgars Kulda squeaked a shot through Justin Nichols blocking arm on the powerplay. Moroz' goal put Guelph in an unfamiliar position: down by two goals in the Mastercard Memorial Cup.

But the Storm came out with new life to start the third period and applied relentless pressure. Zack Mitchell brought some hope back to the Royal City when he pulled Guelph within one just 3:23 into the third period. It was Kerby Rychel and Robby Fabbri with the assists but the goal would not have happened without a great play by captain Matt Finn earlier in the shift. With Edmonton netminder Tristan Jarry playing without a stick, Finn kept the the puck in at the offensive blueline and the biscuit eventually found its way onto Rychel's stick in the corner. Rychel skated behind the Oil Kings net and made Jarry think that he was going to try a wrap-around, but instead passed back to Mitchell for a quick shot inside the short-side post.

Desperate for another, the Storm kept coming but Edmonton was able to capitalize on a pinch that led to an odd-man rush just a minute and a half later. Henrik Samuelsson dropped the puck for Kulda as they entered the Storm zone with only one defender back. Samuelsson then headed for the net and beat a sprawling Nichols up high on Kulda's cross-ice feed. The Oil Kings settled down after that and their defensive systems stymied the Storm the rest of the way. Samuelsson capped a five-point night with an empty netter, while his linemates - Kulda and Moroz - combined for five points.

Guelph had the lead after one on goals by Fabbri and Stephen Pierog. Fabbri opened the scoring just a minute in when he finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play with Mitchell and Rychel. Defenceman Cody Corbett evened the score midway through the period for Edmonton on the powerplay but Pierog gobbled up a juicy rebound and made it 2-1 Storm with less than three-and-a-half to go. The Guelph native crashed the net and picked up Jarry's toe save on Pius Suter for his first of the torunament. Zac Leslie got the secondary assist. Nichols was the busier of the two goaltenders in this one, facing 43 shots for a total of 39 saves. Jarry made 32 saves on 35 Storm shots.

Guelph finishs the 2013/2014 OHL season with a record of 71-17-2-2 and the Hamilton Spectator/Wayne Gretzky/J. Ross Robertson trophies.

http://guelphstorm.com/article/oil-kings-win-memorial-cup

 

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Samuelsson, Oil Kings Beat Storm For Title - The Canadian Press - Sportsnet.ca - Sunday, May 25.

London, Ontario - Inspired by their late teammate, the Edmonton Oil Kings went to their seemingly bottomless reserves to win the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup. The Oil Kings carried the No. 26 jersey of Kristian Pelss with them Sunday at Budweiser Gardens as they hoisted the trophy following a 6-3 win over the Guelph Storm. Pelss was an Oil King two years ago when Edmonton won a Western Hockey League championship and lost their Memorial Cup tiebreaker in Shawinigan, Que. The 20-year-old Latvian died last year after diving off a bridge in Riga.

The loss of Pelss was an emotional touchstone for Edmonton this season and particularly for the eight veterans who were his teammates in 2012. Edmonton won the Memorial Cup playing with a fearless, indefatigable, physical brand of hockey. "Everyone knows about the passing of Kristian Pelss," Henrik Samuelsson said. "He was a good buddy of mine. I know he was watching over us today and he definitely had a part of it." The son of New York Rangers assistant coach Ulf Samuelsson scored a pair of goals, including an empty-netter, and assisted on three goals Sunday.

With four goals and three assists, undrafted Latvian left-winger Edgars Kulda was named the tournament’s most valuable player. "I kind of got lucky with that," Kulda said. "I don’t know how I got it, honestly. It’s a pleasurable surprise for me. I’m happy to get that one too."

Kulda contributed a goal and two assists in Sunday’s victory. Edmonton also got goals from Cody Corbett, Tyler Robertson and Mitch Moroz. Goaltender and Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Tristan Jarry made 32 saves for the win. Robby Fabbri, Stephen Pierog and Zach Mitchell replied for the Ontario Hockey League’s Storm, whose only loss of the tournament was the final. Guelph goaltender Justin Nichols stopped 40 shots.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/samuelsson-oil-kings-beat-storm-for-title/
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Oil Kings Snap WHLs Five Year Drought - Patrick King - Sportsnet.ca - Sunday, May 25.

London, Ontario - The team wearing the crown on their chest will now wear it on their heads as the Edmonton Oil Kings captured the MasterCard Memorial Cup with a stunning 6-3 win over the Guelph Storm. The Oil Kings were heavy underdogs and appeared in danger of being run out the rink after a bad start. They settled in after killing off two man advantages and took the game over, out-hitting, out-skating and out-playing the Storm. It was textbook Oil Kings hockey – wear the other team down, grab the lead, and suck the life out of its prey. “It’s a real dream right now, it’s just unbelievable,” said Edgars Kulda, who received the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as tournament MVP. “Fantasies come true.”

The Oil Kings were underdogs to make it this far. No one picked them to win the Western Hockey League this season, let alone the MasterCard Memorial Cup. In doing so, they may have lifted a jinx. The last WHL team to win the MasterCard Memorial Cup were the 2008 Spokane Chiefs, who dropped the trophy after winning it. “It’s pretty surreal,” said Curtis Lazar. “We didn’t even break the trophy. I guess that’s what the west is famous for right now.”

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/oil-kings-lift-the-mastercard-memorial-cup-jinx/
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Oil Kings Coach Laxdal Hits Home On Adjustments - Gare Joyce - Sportsnet.ca - Sunday, May 25.
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/oil-kings-laxdal-hits-home-on-adjustments/

 

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2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup Awards and All-Stars - MastercardMemorialCup.ca - Sunday, May 25.

London, Ontario - Following the Championship Final, the Canadian Hockey League announced the top individual award winners and tournament All-Stars for the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup as selected by NHL Central Scouting.

A trio of Edmonton Oil Kings won tournament awards including Edgars Kulda (Draft Eligible - 2014) of the Edmonton Oil Kings who claimed the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the tournament’s MVP scoring four goals and three assists in five games. Henrik Samuelsson (Phoenix Coyotes) of the Oil Kings took home the Ed Chynoweth Trophy as the tournament's top scorer with eight points including five points in the Championship Final. The Oil Kings' Curtis Lazar (Ottawa Senators) was named Most Sportsmanlike Player earning the George Parsons Trophy.

Antoine Bibeau (Toronto Maple Leafs) of the QMJHL Champion Val-d'Or Foreurs was named Outstanding Goaltender of the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup. The 20-year-old from Victoriaville, PQ made 178 saves in four games with a 2.76 goal against average and a .932 save percentage.

Three Oil Kings were also named to the tournament All-Star team including defenceman Cody Corbett (Colorado Avalanche) and forwards Kulda and Samuelsson. Matt Finn (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Kerby Rychel (Columbus Blue Jackets) of the Guelph Storm along with Bibeau, rounded out the rest of the All-Star Team.

http://www.mastercardmemorialcup.ca/article/2014-mastercard-memorial-cup-awards-and-all-stars/162856

2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup Awards -
Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Most Valuable Player) – Edgars Kulda (Edmonton Oil Kings).
Ed Chynoweth Trophy (Top Scorer) – Henrik Samuelsson (Edmonton Oil Kings).
George Parsons Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike Player) – Curtis Lazar (Edmonton Oil Kings).
Hap Emms Memorial Trophy (Outstanding Goaltender) – Antoine Bibeau (Val-d'Or Foreurs).

Historical List Of All Award Winners - http://mastercardmemorialcup.ca/page/historyawards

2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup All-Star Team -
Goalie - Antoine Bibeau (Val-d'Or Foreurs). Defence - Cody Corbett (Edmonton Oil Kings). Defence - Matt Finn (Guelph Storm).
Forward - Edgars Kulda (Edmonton Oil Kings). Forward - Kerby Rychel (Guelph Storm). Forward - Henrik Samuelsson (Edmonton Oil Kings).

Historical List Of All-Star Teams - http://mastercardmemorialcup.ca/historyallstar