2026 Memorial Cup preview – Rangers vs. Rockets – May 22
Game 1 of the 2026 Memorial Cup is finally here.
The tournament gets underway this evening from Kelowna, B.C.., where the host Kelowna Rockets will face the Kitchener Rangers at 9pm ET / 7pm MT on TSN 1/3, RDS 2 and Victory Plus.
“We’ve all been waiting for this opportunity and we’re super excited to get going,” said Kelowna’s Hayden Paupanekis (MTL).
The Rockets will have home ice throughout the event as hosts where they will be hoping that a raucous home crowd can inspire them on a nightly basis.
“I think our crowd is going to be buzzing for us and we’ll use that as energy,” Paupanekis said.
Paupanekis was the prize return for Kelowna in the Andrew Cristall deal with Spokane in January 2025 and the moment he joined the Rockets, he knew what he was getting himself in to with a guaranteed Memorial Cup appearance. Now, that moment is here.
“Ever since getting traded here, I’ve had the Memorial Cup in the back of my head. I’ve been super excited to get going ever since then.”
Kelowna come into the tournament having not played since April 17 when their season was ended by eventual WHL champions Everett. On the other side, Kitchener secured its OHL championship 10 days ago.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” said Kitchener’s Jared Woolley (LA). “They’re rested and had time off. But we had a decent amount of time before we came here too though but you want to stay in the groove.”
Woolley – alongside Sam O’Reilly (TB) – is set to play in his third straight Memorial Cup having played in both Saginaw and Rimouski with London where they were victorious on the latter occasion.
“It’s good to be back,” Woolley said. “Coming here is always a good time.
“You’re going to be in some situations you’ve already been in before so you can look back at what you’ve done in the past. It’s going to be leaning on that past experience.”
Kitchener collected its fifth OHL title after a four-game sweep of Barrie that completed at 16-2 postseason. While Woolley and O’Reilly – who won OHL regular season and postseason MVP – were the prize additions at the OHL trade deadline for the Rangers, the Rockets made moves too. Tonight’s contest will feature 20 NHL prospects on the ice.
“They picked up sone high-end players,” Woolley said. “Obviously, they didn’t make their playoff run how they wanted to so they’ll be looking to come out strong and be hungry.”
Tonight is the second Memorial Cup meeting between the sides; Kitchener won 4-2 on May 21 2003 in their previous contest – a tournament the Rangers went on to win.
The 2026 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota is scheduled for May 21-31 in Kelowna, B.C. Every game of the 2026 Memorial Cup will air in Canada on TSN and RDS, with live streaming available on TSN.ca, the TSN app, RDS.ca, and the RDS app. In the United States, fans can watch every game on NHL Network, while viewers outside Canada can stream the tournament live on Victory+.
2026 Memorial Cup schedule:
May 22 – Game 1: Kitchener vs. Kelowna — 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT
May 23 – Game 2: Everett vs. Chicoutimi — 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT
May 24 – Game 3: Kelowna vs. Chicoutimi — 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT
May 25 – Game 4: Everett vs. Kitchener — 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT
May 26 – Game 5: Chicoutimi vs. Kitchener — 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT
May 27 – Game 6: Kelowna vs. Everett — 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT
May 28 – Tie-breaker (if necessary) — 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT
May 29 – Semi-final — 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT
May 31 – Final — 7:00pm ET / 4:00pm PT
