Game day preview: Petes vs. Thunderbirds — May 27
The Seattle Thunderbirds and Peterborough Petes get their 2023 Memorial Cup presented by Kia campaigns underway this afternoon from Kamloops.
Both teams sat idle Friday night as they saw Quebec defeat the host Blazers 8-3 at the Sandman Centre.
Tonight will mark Seattle’s third appearance at the tournament and first since 2017 when they claimed their only other WHL championship.
“One thing I learned really quickly [last year] is that the first game is critical,” said defenceman Luke Prokop (NSH) who played in last year’s tournament with Edmonton. “You want to get off to a quick start.”
The T-Birds enter the tournament after a dominant year. They led the WHL’s Western Conference with 54 wins and 111 points before they eliminated Kelowna, Prince George, Kamloops and finally Winnipeg to win the second Ed Chynoweth Cup in franchise history. They were ranked every week of the Kia CHL Top 10 rankings and held top spot on two separate occasions.
Dylan Guenther (ARI) led the CHL with 16 postseason goals while his 28 points ranked seventh as he led the charge up front alongside Brad Lambert (WPG), who had 26 points. Thomas Milic, who claimed gold at the 2023 World Juniors in Halifax, was named WHL Playoffs MVP after a stellar postseason that saw him go 16-3-0 with a 1.95 GAA and .933 save percentage.
“I think we’re different kind of players that compliment each other well,” Guenther said of Lambert. “He’s a speed-based player, can make plays and I can play off the puck and try to get open and find areas to score.”
😛🙄😀 #MemorialCup pic.twitter.com/21Z57M6Mvs
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) May 25, 2023
Seattle’s roster is littered with talent as they have 10 NHL drafted prospects in their lineup, the most in the CHL. Guenther is joined by Nolan Allan (CHI), Lucas Ciona (CGY), Jared Davidson (MTL), Colton Dach (CHI), Jordan Gustafson (VGK), Kevin Korchinski (CHI), Brad Lambert (WPG), Prokop and Reid Schaefer (NSH) while the team also boasts multiple 2023 NHL Draft eligible prospects in Nico Myatovic and Gracyn Sawchyn.
The T-Birds also have familiarity at the Sandman Centre; they won twice here during the Western Conference Championship Series that included a series clinching Game 6 victory.
“We’re in the same locker room, on the same bench,” head coach Matt O’Dette said. “The familiarity will be good for us but we have to use it to our advantage. We’ve played a lot of big games here and there’s more moving forward.”
For Peterborough, it’s been quite a journey to get to what is their 10th Memorial Cup appearance. The 1979 winners finished with just 74 points during the regular season but gelled when it mattered most as they eliminated Oshawa, Ottawa, North Bay and London en route to a 10th J. Ross Robertson Cup.
“Everyone is feeling really good, we’re raring to go and we’re confident in this group,” said defenceman Donovan McCoy. “Seattle has a lot of top guys, lots of skill. They’re a really good team.
“They’ve got really good players … it’s something to look forward to [going up against their best players].”
Buoyed by the acquisition of Brennan Othmann (NYR) in November, as well as trade deadline acquisitions Avery Hayes and Gavin White (DAL) from Hamilton, the Petes arrive in Kamloops hoping to become the first OHL club to lift the Memorial Cup since Windsor in 2017. The Petes have lost a Memorial Cup final on six different occasions, tied for the second most all-time, as they make their first appearance since 2006.
.@PetesOHLhockey getting acclimated 🤳🏻 📸#MemorialCup pic.twitter.com/Q9VCWYPlSp
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) May 25, 2023
Othmann led the club in scoring throughout the postseason with 25 points while Michael Simpson collected the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as OHL Playoffs MVP after he posted .918 save percentage in 23 games.
“He’s meant a lot to our team,” McCoy said of Simpson. “He’s the backbone. Anytime he’s in there we feel really confident. He’s been lights out for us all season.”
Puck drop tonight is at 6pm ET / 3pm PT and can be seen live on TSN 1/3 and RDS.