They say that the Stanley Cup might be the most difficult trophy in all of sports to win. Somewhere near the top of that list is the Memorial Cup, that comes down to a one-game elimination match every year between teams that have barely seen each other before. This time, that game was played last night between the host Regina Pats and the QMJHL Champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan. In a 3-0 shutout, Acadie-Bathurst was able to win the first Memorial Cup in franchise history.
The Titan were able to ride a deep defensive unit that includes projected first-round pick Noah Dobson, and get just enough offense from their underappreciated forward group. Philadelphia Flyers forward German Rubtsov was dangerous all game, only to cleanly hit a post on his best chance. The team that had no 80-point scorers in the regular season went all the way with their well-coached system, relying on depth and hard work more than pure skill.
Regina would see Anaheim Ducks prospect Sam Steel win MVP of the tournament, though he couldn’t add to his 13 points in the final game. Steel will be heading to professional hockey next season, after another outstanding year with the Pats. His offensive instincts are exceptional, but he just wasn’t able to break down the Titan defensive unit frequently enough in the final game.