The 2018 Memorial Cup (branded as the 2018 Mastercard Memorial Cup for sponsorship reasons) was a four-team, round-robin format tournament that was held at

Brandt Centre The Brandt Centre (formerly the Regina Agridome) is an indoor arena at REAL District in Regina, Saskatchewan. Built in 1977, it is the home arena for the WHL's Regina Pats. It is owned by the city of Regina and operated by the Regina Exhibitio ...

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 census, Regina had a city populatio ...

from May 18–27, 2018. It was the 100th

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...

championship of junior ice hockey, and determined the champion of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The CHL chose to allow all three of its constituent leagues to bid for hosting the 100th Memorial Cup, instead of the usual rotation between its leagues. The

Regina Pats Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to: Places Canada * Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province ** Regina (electoral district) ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina France * Régina, French Guiana, a commune United States * ...

won the right to host the tournament, over bids from the

Hamilton Bulldogs The Hamilton Bulldogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League that began to play in the 2015–16 season. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the Bulldogs play their home games at FirstOntario Centre. They were purcha ...

and the Oshawa Generals. The Memorial Cup honours all Canadian military personnel killed in combat, and was founded in the wake of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1919. The Cup embarked on a tour across Canada for its centennial celebrations, which also included the release of a

commemorative coin Commemorative coins are coins issued to commemorate some particular event or issue with a distinct design with reference to the occasion on which they were issued. Many coins of this category serve as collectors items only, although some countries ...

, and a special

postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the f ...

. The CHL also held a "team of the century" contest for previous Memorial Cup champions, which was won by the 2005

London Knights The London Knights are a junior ice hockey team from London, Ontario, Canada, playing in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League. The Knights started out in 1965 as the London Nationals but changed to their cu ...

. The tournament featured the three champion teams of the CHL's constituent leagues, along with the host team Regina Pats. The Hamilton Bulldogs represented the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...

, and the Swift Current Broncos represented the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

. The Acadie–Bathurst Titan from the

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The ...

won their first Memorial Cup, defeating the host Regina Pats 3–0 in the championship game. Sam Steel from the Regina Pats was the tournament's top scorer, and named its most valuable player. The 2018 event was the final Memorial Cup sponsored by Mastercard, since

Kia Motors Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...

became the new title sponsor at the

2019 Memorial Cup The 2019 Memorial Cup (branded as the 2019 Memorial Cup presented by Kia for sponsorship reasons) was a four-team, round-robin format tournament held at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia from May 17–26, 2019. It was the 101st Mem ...

Background

The Memorial Cup was established by Captain James T. Sutherland in 1919 after he returned from serving in

. The deaths of

Scotty Davidson Allan McLean "Scotty" Davidson (March 6, 1891 – June 16, 1915) was a Canadian ice hockey player and soldier. He was considered one of the top wingers of the game's early years. He led his Kingston junior team to two Ontario Hockey Associati ...

, and George Richardson served as inspiration for the trophy. The Cup was donated to the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association by the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) in March 1919, then known as the "OHA Memorial Cup". It was dedicated in remembrance of Canadian soldiers who died during World War I. The Memorial Cup later became the championship trophy of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), and in 2010 it was rededicated to honour "all Canadian military personnel killed in combat".

Host bidding process

The CHL chose to allow all three of its constituent leagues to bid for hosting the 100th Memorial Cup. Since 1983 the three leagues had rotated hosting of the event. It would have been the

's (QMJHL) turn to host in 2018, but an exception was made where the

(OHL), and the

(WHL) were also allowed to bid. The regular rotation continued as of the

, with hosting duties assigned to a team from the QMJHL. Each league was given a deadline of November 16, 2017, to submit a short list of up to two bids per league for the 2018 event. On January 23, 2018, the CHL announced who would sit on the committee to select the host team. Committee members included Michael Akpata (Canadian Armed Forces retiree),

Paul Beeston Paul McGill Beeston, (born June 20, 1945) is a Canadian former professional baseball executive. He was the president and chief operating officer of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1997 to 2002, and the president of the Toronto Blue Jays from 19 ...

(former president of the Toronto Blue Jays),

Colin Campbell Colin may refer to: * Colin (given name) * Colin (surname) * ''Colin'' (film), a 2008 Cannes film festival zombie movie * Colin (horse) (1905–1932), thoroughbred racehorse * Colin (humpback whale), a humpback whale calf abandoned north of Sydney, ...

(National Hockey League), Scott Smith (Hockey Canada), Al Coates (Hockey Canada), Serge Fortin (TVA Sports), and Scott Moore (Sportsnet). The three league commissioners, David Branch (OHL),

Gilles Courteau Gilles Courteau (born October 7, 1957) is a Canadian ice hockey administrator who has served as the president of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) since 1986, and is also a vice-president of the Canadian Hockey League. During his t ...

(QMJHL), and

Ron Robison Ron Robison (born 1955) is a Canadian ice hockey executive, who has served as the commissioner of the Western Hockey League (WHL) since September 15, 2000. He previously worked in senior managerial roles for the Canadian Hockey Association and ...

(WHL), observed on the committee which was chaired by CHL legal counsel Gord Kirke. Brandt Center 2016

Formal bids to host event were put forth by the

, Oshawa Generals, and the

. Each team made a bid presentation to the committee on January 25, 2017. Previously, the

Kelowna Rockets The Kelowna Rockets are a major junior ice hockey team based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. The Rockets play in the Western Hockey League (WHL), out of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). They play their home games at Prospera Place. The R ...

and the

Ottawa 67's The Ottawa 67's are a major junior ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that plays in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Established during Canada's centennial year of 1967 and named in honour of this, the 67's currently play their h ...

had shown interest in bidding for hosting duties, but withdrew before the presentation process. Hamilton's home arena was

FirstOntario Centre FirstOntario Centre (originally Copps Coliseum) is a sports and entertainment arena at the corner of Bay Street North and York Boulevard in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1985, it has a capacity of up to 19,000. History Hamilton was lef ...

with a capacity of 17,383 people, and the host site of the 1990 Memorial Cup. The largest attendance for a Memorial Cup game was the sold out 1990 final at the same arena in Hamilton. The host team in 1990 was the

Dukes of Hamilton Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in April 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that peerage (except for the Dukedom of Rothesay held by the Sovereign's eldest son), and as such its holder is the premier peer of Sc ...

, but they withdrew from playing in the Cup due to a poor regular season. Oshawa's home arena was

General Motors Centre The Tribute Communities Centre, formerly known as the General Motors Centre or GM Centre, GMC for short, is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, which opened in November 2006. The arena was constructed to replace the ...

with a capacity of 6,125 people. The Generals previously hosted the

1987 Memorial Cup The 1987 Memorial Cup occurred May 9–15 at the Oshawa Civic Auditorium in Oshawa, Ontario. It was the 69th annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Oshawa earne ...

, and had recently won the 2015 Memorial Cup. Oshawa had won the most Memorial Cup championships for any active CHL team as of 2017, with five titles to their name. Regina's home arena was

with a capacity of 6,200 people, and host site of the 2001 Memorial Cup. Regina had also co-hosted the

1980 Memorial Cup The 1980 Memorial Cup occurred May 4–11 at the Keystone Centre in Brandon, Manitoba and at the Agridome in Regina, Saskatchewan. It was the 62nd annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Canadian ...

along with Brandon, Manitoba. The Pats were also the oldest franchise in the CHL, having first played in 1917. The Pats had competed in the most championship games in the Cup's history at 12 times, with victories in 1925, 1930 and 1974. The Pats also played in the very first final, in the

1919 Memorial Cup The 1919 Memorial Cup final was the first junior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. The George Richardson Memorial Trophy champions University of Toronto Schools of the Ontario Hockey Association in Eastern Cana ...

. On February 18, 2017, the CHL announced the Regina Pats as the host team for the 100th Memorial Cup.

100th anniversary celebrations

The CHL unveiled a 100th anniversary logo for the Memorial Cup on October 12, 2017. It included

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

sheaves symbolic of the

Canadian Prairies The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie Provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...

where Regina is located, and the

poppy A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, '' Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug o ...

to honour the fallen soldiers to whom the Memorial Cup is dedicated. The CHL and

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the opera ...

produced a 100th anniversary

, released on May 18, 2018, which featured two Regina players from the inaugural

. The CHL also distributed a

for the event, in cooperation with the

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC; french: Banque canadienne impériale de commerce) is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered at CIBC Square in the Financial District of Toronto, Ontario. ...

. The 100th anniversary logo was also worn as a patch by all players and on-ice officials, for the duration of the 2017–18 season commencing on

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

was named an honorary chairman of the 100th anniversary celebrations, and the CHL announced that the Memorial Cup would tour across Canada during the 2017–18 season, beginning on November 18, 2017. The cities included in the tour were,

Barrie Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically ...

, Bathurst,

Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name *Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...

, Calgary,

Chicoutimi Chicoutimi () is the most populous borough (arrondissement) of the city of Saguenay in Quebec, Canada. It is situated at the confluence of the Saguenay and Chicoutimi rivers. During the 20th century, it became the main administrative and com ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, Halifax, Kingston, Moncton, Ottawa,

Owen Sound Owen Sound ( 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay. The primary tourist attractio ...

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...

, Regina,

Sarnia Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes w ...

, St. Catharines,

Swift Current Swift Current is the fifth largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is situated along the Trans Canada Highway west of Moose Jaw, and east of Medicine Hat, Alberta. Swift Current grew 6.8% between 2011 and 2016, ending up at ...

, and

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. CHL games were broadcast Saturday afternoons on Sportsnet during the season, and the home team of that televised game was allowed promotional use of the Memorial Cup trophy for one week as part of the tour. The Cup's tour began at

CFB Borden Canadian Forces Base Borden (also CFB Borden, French: Base des Forces canadiennes Borden or BFC Borden), formerly RCAF Station Borden, is a large Canadian Forces base located in Ontario. The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Force, C ...

and the Santa Claus parade in Barrie, and later visited

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...

and Fort George. The CHL held an online vote to select a "team of the century" from the previous 99 Memorial Cup champions, and posted historical photos, rosters, and tournament summaries for each season. The four top teams were the 1995

Kamloops Blazers The Kamloops Blazers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team plays in the B.C. Division of the Western Conference, is based out of Kamloops, British Columbia, and play home games at Sandman Centre. The Blazers o ...

, the 2000

Rimouski Océanic The Rimouski Océanic are a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The franchise was granted for the 1969–70 season as the Sherbrooke Castors. The Castors played in Sherbrooke from 1969 to 1982 before moving t ...

, the 2005

, and the 2013

Halifax Mooseheads The Halifax Mooseheads are a Canadian major junior ice hockey club in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The team was founded in 1994 and began play in the Dilio Division of the QMJHL from the ...

. The 2005 London Knights were announced as the "team of the century" during the second period of the final game in the 2018 Memorial Cup. The 2018 Memorial Cup tournament began on May 17, 2018, with the opening ceremonies hosted by Brent Butt and

Adam Growe Adam Growe (born July 21, 1967), is a Canadian comedian, licensed Toronto cab driver, and was the host of the Canadian version of ''Cash Cab''. Born in New York, but raised in Vancouver, he has been performing professionally on radio, television ...

Mosaic Stadium Mosaic Stadium is an open-air stadium at REAL District in Regina, Saskatchewan. Announced on July 12, 2012, the stadium replaced Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field as the home field of the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders. It was ...

. The

Snowbirds The Snowbirds, officially known as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron (french: 431e Escadron de démonstration aérienne, links=no), are the military aerobatics flight demonstration team of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The team is based at 15 Wing ...

performed a fly-by of the stadium before the opening concert. Musical acts included a tribute to the

Humboldt Broncos bus crash On April 6, 2018, sixteen people were killed and thirteen were injured when a northbound coach bus struck a westbound semi-trailer truck near Armley, Saskatchewan, Canada. The driver of the semi-truck had failed to yield at a flashing stop ...

by the

Regina Symphony Orchestra The Regina Symphony Orchestra (RSO) was founded by Frank Laubach, in Regina, Saskatchewan, as the ''Regina Orchestral Society'' in 1908, giving its inaugural concert December 3 of that same year. Becoming the ''Regina Choral and Orchestral Societ ...

, and other performances by

Jess Moskaluke Jessica Moskaluke (born June 4, 1990) is a Canadian country singer and songwriter. She released her debut studio album, '' Light Up the Night'' in April 2014, which includes the platinum-certified single "Cheap Wine and Cigarettes". She has one #1 ...

Chad Brownlee Chad Brownlee (born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian country music artist, songwriter, actor, and former ice hockey defenceman. He has one #1 Canada Country hit with " Forever's Gotta Start Somewhere". Sports career Brownlee was a draft pick for t ...

, and the

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...

Road to the Cup

The Regina Pats were given a berth in the 2018 Memorial Cup in their role as the host team. The remaining three berths were given to the playoffs champions of each constituent league of the CHL.

OHL playoffs

The Hamilton Bulldogs finished first place in the Eastern conference with 93 points, and the third overall in the league. The team was led in scoring by Matthew Strome with 37 goals, and Brandon Saigeon with 70 points. In the playoffs, the Bulldogs defeated the

in five games in round one, then the

Niagara IceDogs The Niagara IceDogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The franchise was originally known as the Mississauga IceDogs and founded in 1996. The team was relocated to St. Cathar ...

in five games in round two, and the Kingston Frontenacs in five games in round three to reach the finals. Hamilton defeated the top-ranked Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in six games to win the

J. Ross Robertson Cup The J. Ross Robertson Cup is a Canadian ice hockey trophy. It is awarded annually in junior ice hockey to the champion of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. It was donated by John Ross Robertson to the Ontario Hockey Association in 1910, and ...

, and earn a berth in the 2018 Memorial Cup. Playoffs bracket

QMJHL playoffs

The Acadie–Bathurst Titan finished first place in the Maritimes division with 96 points, and second overall in the league. The team was led in scoring by Jeffrey Truchon-Viel with 39 goals, and Antoine Morand with 76 points. In the playoffs, the Titan defeated the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in six games in the first round, then swept both the

Sherbrooke Phoenix The Sherbrooke Phoenix is a major junior ice hockey team based in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, that plays in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The team plays its home games at the Palais des Sports Léopold-Drolet. History The franchi ...

, and the

Victoriaville Tigres The Victoriaville Tigres are a junior ice hockey team that plays in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The team is based in Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada. The team plays its home games at the Colisée Desjardins. History The franchise was gra ...

in rounds two and three to reach the finals. Acadie–Bathurst defeated the top-ranked Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in six games to win the

President's Cup The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world minus Europe. Europe competes against the United States in a similar but considerably ...

, and earn a berth in the 2018 Memorial Cup. Playoffs bracket

WHL playoffs

The Swift Current Broncos finished second place in the Eastern division with 103 points, the second highest point total in the league. The team featured three 100-point-scorers, including Glenn Gawdin (56 goals and 125 points), Aleksi Heponiemi (90 assists and 118 points), and Tyler Steenbergen (47 goals and 102 points). In the playoffs, the Broncos defeated the Regina Pats in seven games in the first round, the top-ranked

Moose Jaw Warriors The Moose Jaw Warriors are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The Warriors play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Moose Jaw Events Centre ...

in seven games in the second round, and the

Lethbridge Hurricanes The Lethbridge Hurricanes are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team currently members of the Eastern Conference (Central Division) of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team is based in Lethbridge, Alberta, and play their home games at the ...

in six games in the third round to reach the finals. Swift Current defeated the

Everett Silvertips The Everett Silvertips are an American major junior ice hockey team currently members of the U.S. Division in the Western Conference of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team is based in Everett, Washington, and joined the WHL as an expansio ...

in six games to win the

Ed Chynoweth Cup The Ed Chynoweth Cup is an ice hockey club championship trophy awarded to the playoff champion of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Originally called the President's Cup when the league was founded in 1966, the trophy was renamed in 2007 to honou ...

, and earn a berth in the 2018 Memorial Cup. Playoffs bracket

Team rosters

Rosters as listed on the Memorial Cup web site for Regina, Acadie–Bathurst, Hamilton, and Swift Current.

Regina Pats

*Head coach:

John Paddock Alvin John Paddock (born June 9, 1954) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player, currently the senior vice-president of hockey operations of the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He is a former head coach of t ...

Acadie–Bathurst Titan

*Head coach: Mario Pouliot

Hamilton Bulldogs

*Head coach: John Gruden

Swift Current Broncos

*Head coach:

Emanuel Viveiros Emanuel "Manny" Viveiros (born January 8, 1966) is a Canadian-Austrian professional ice hockey coach and former player. Vivieros is currently the head coach of the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League. He is former head coach of ...

Tournament games

The 2018 Memorial Cup tournament was played from May 18 to 27, 2018. (All game times are UTC −4.)

Round-robin

The first round-robin game featured the host team Regina Pats, versus the OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs. Robert Thomas scored to give Hamilton a first-period lead, before Sam Steel tied the game for Regina on a power play goal in the first minute of the second period. Each team scored once more in the second period, and were tied 2–2 until the final minute of the third period. Nick Henry scored with 33 seconds remaining to give Regina the game one victory. The second round-robin game featured the QMJHL champion Acadie–Bathurst Titan, versus the WHL champion Swift Current Broncos. The Titan scored two short-handed goals during regulation to force the game into overtime with a 3–3 tie. Liam Murphy scored for Acadie–Bathurst at 2:58 into overtime to give the Titan a game two victory. The third round-robin game featured the two undefeated teams, Regina and Acadie–Bathurst. The teams combined to score 14 goals, the highest scoring match in the 2018 Memorial Cup. The Titan had built up a 7–2 lead by the 1:39 mark of the third period, before Regina scored four consecutive goals to make the score 7–6 with two minutes to play. The Titan then scored an empty net goal with one second remaining to secure a game three victory, and remain undefeated. In the fourth round-robin game, the Broncos and Bulldogs faced each other with both teams looking for their first win of the tournament. It was the lowest-scoring game of the round-robin, and Hamilton prevailed with a 2–1 victory on a goal by Marian Studenic with two minutes and one second remaining in the game. Hamilton had 56 shots on net, compared to only 22 for Swift Current. Broncos goaltender

Stuart Skinner Stuart Skinner (born November 1, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was a third round selection, 78th overall, in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Oilers. Playing ...

made 54 saves in the loss, and was named the game's first star. Acadie–Bathurst faced Hamilton in the fifth round-robin game. A win by the Titan would guarantee them a berth in the championship game, or a win by Hamilton would earn at least a semifinal game appearance. The Bulldogs scored twice in the first period for a 2–0 lead, and held on for a 3–2 victory on a game-winning goal by Robert Thomas on a third period power play. Late in the third period the Titan had a power play, but Pouliot made a coaching decision to not pull out the goaltender for an extra attacker. Pouliot's reasoning was strategical, in that if Hamilton scored into an empty net for a two-goal victory, then Hamilton could advance to the final based on the tie-breaking procedure. He chose to defend a one-goal deficit instead to preserve the tie-breaking advantage. In the sixth and final round-robin game, the winless Broncos needed a win to force a tie-breaking game, and the Pats needed a win to secure at least a semifinal game appearance. Regina led 4–2 after the second period, and scored a fifth goal at 10:23 into the third period for a 5–2 advantage. Swift Current replied with two goals to pull within one with 2:49 remaining in the game. Libor Hajek scored on a power play for Regina with 1:37 remaining in the game for a two-goal lead. The Broncos scored a power play goal of their own with 50 seconds remaining in the game, but the comeback fell short in a 6–5 victory for Regina. Round-robin standings The Acadie–Bathurst Titan advanced directly to the championship game, based on the tie-breaking procedure for a three-way tie. The Regina Pats and the Hamilton Bulldogs qualified for the semifinal game, based on the same tie-breaking procedure. The Swift Current Broncos finished in fourth place and were eliminated.

Semifinal game

The semifinal game featured the Regina Pats and Hamilton Bulldogs. Austin Pratt scored the first goal of the game at 5:22 in the first period for Regina, however Nicolas Mattinen of the Bulldogs scored in the second to tie the game. The tie was short-lived as minutes later, the Pats took the lead again. In the third period, Sam Steel, who led the tournament with 13 points, scored the game-winning goal despite Will Bitten of the Bulldogs scoring his first goal of the tournament. In the end, the Pats scored an empty net goal to seal the game 4–2.

Championship game

The final game featured Acadie–Bathurst Titan and Regina Pats. Defenceman Adam Holwell scored the first goal of the game in the first period with 3:50 left off an assist from Mitchell Balmas. After a scoreless second period, Samuel Asselin scored his fifth goal of the tournament followed by Ethan Crossman scoring the empty net goal. With an ending of 3–0, the Titan won their first Memorial Cup in franchise history, and became the first QMJHL team since 2013 to do so. Goaltender Evan Fitzpatrick posted a shutout for the Titan, which last happened in the championship game during the 2005 Memorial Cup.

Statistical leaders

Skaters

Sam Steel led all skaters with 13 points in the 2018 Memorial Cup. *''GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes''

Goaltenders

Kaden Fulcher led all goaltenders with a

goals against average Goals against average (GAA) also known as "average goals against" or "AGA" is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending ...

of 2.27, and

save percentage Save percentage (often known by such symbols as SV%, SVS%, SVP, PCT) is a statistic in various goal-scoring sports that track saves as a statistic. In ice hockey and lacrosse, it is a statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal ...

with 0.918. *''GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts; TOI = Time on ice (minutes)''

Awards

The CHL handed out the following awards at the conclusion of the 2018 Memorial Cup: * Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Most outstanding player): Sam Steel, Regina Pats * Ed Chynoweth Trophy (Top scorer): Sam Steel, Regina Pats *

George Parsons Trophy The George Parsons Trophy is awarded annually to the player judged to be the most sportsmanlike at the Memorial Cup tournament. It was first awarded in 1974. The trophy is named for George Parsons, a former Ontario Hockey Association player who ...

(Most sportsmanlike player): Adam Holwell, Acadie–Bathurst Titan * Hap Emms Memorial Trophy (Best goaltender): Kaden Fulcher, Hamilton Bulldogs *

Memorial Cup All-Star Team The Memorial Cup All-Star Team is an annual selection of the best players at the Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in ...

: ::Goaltender: Max Paddock, Regina Pats ::Defence:

Noah Dobson Noah Dobson (born January 7, 2000) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 12th overall by the Islanders in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Playing career Dobs ...

, Acadie–Bathurst Titan; Josh Mahura, Regina Pats ::Forwards: Sam Steel, Regina Pats; Jeffrey Truchon-Viel, Acadie–Bathurst Titan;

Samuel Asselin Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transit ...

, Acadie–Bathurst Titan

References

External links

Memorial Cup

Canadian Hockey League
{{Canadian Hockey League

Centennial anniversaries Memorial Cup tournaments Memorial Cup 2018 May 2018 sports events in Canada