Road to Memorial Cup daily: Five teams aim to advance to the 3rd round tonight
CHL THREE STARS
Winnipeg Jets prospect Brad Lambert (WPG) has had a playoff series to remember in the Western Hockey League.
The Thunderbird forward has registered 13 points (2G, 11A) in three games against the Prince George Cougars — including an incredible six points (1G, 5A) in Seattle’s 8-1 victory on Tuesday night. The six points marked a career-best for Lambert in the WHL, while also giving him 15 points this postseason, which places him fourth in league scoring. The 19-year-old now holds a WHL-leading 13 assists during the playoffs. Between both the regular season and postseason, he has also collected an impressive 53 points in 31 games. He’ll look to add to that mark when his T-Birds seek to complete the sweep against the Cougars tonight in Prince George.
Meanwhile, in Kitchener, Brett Brochu helped his London Knights squad inch closer to a berth in the OHL’s Western Conference Finals with another strong performance. Specifically, Brochu made 25 saves to secure his third shutout in eight playoff games this postseason. His three shutouts are not only the most of any goalie in the OHL this postseason, but according to the OHL, they are also the most by a Knights goalie in at least 25 years.
Finally, not to be outdone, Moose Jaw’s Braden Yager matched a career-best by registering four assists last night in a crucial Game 3 victory for his Warriors over the top-seeded Winnipeg ICE. His four assists against the ICE mark the first time he’s ever registered four assists, let alone four points in the WHL playoffs. Prior to puck drop, Yager was officially ranked 11th among North American skaters in the NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings for the 2023 NHL Draft.
OHL
Eastern Conference
(1) Ottawa vs. (4) Peterborough — Peterborough leads series 2-1
Game 3: Petes 3-2 67’s
- Petes forward Brennan Othmann (NYR) scored an unassisted goal with a little over a minute remaining to give the Petes’ a big win on home ice
- Avery Hayes and Jax Dubois also tallied goals for Peterborough as they outshot Ottawa 36-28
- Petes centerman Tucker Robertson (SEA) had an impressive night in the faceoff circle, winning 14-of-17 faceoffs
- Cameron Tolnai and Cooper Foster found the scoresheet for the 67’s, while Luca Pinelli had a pair of assists
- Pinelli now has 10 assists (ranked T-4th in OHL) and 15 points (ranked 4th in OHL) in the playoffs
- Michael Simpson made 26 saves to help the Petes win a second straight game in this series—
- Ottawa netminder Max Donoso turned aside 33-of-36 shots in defeat — the 33 saves match his OHL career best in the postseason
- Game 4 is scheduled for Thursday in Peterborough
Konnor Smith with a HUGE 🛑 at one end
Brennan Othmann with the GWG at the other 🔥#RoadtoMemorialCup | @PetesOHLhockey pic.twitter.com/KDgvvJthwQ
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) April 19, 2023
(2) North Bay vs. (3) Barrie — Barrie leads series 2-1
Game 3: Colts 2-1 Battalion (OT)
- For the second time in this series, the Colts managed to pull out a victory in overtime to jump in front of the Battalion by a game
- After both teams went scoreless over 30 minutes, Jacob Frasca snapped the deadlock by scoring the OT-winner three minutes into the extra frame
- Tay York had the other goal for Barrie, while the Battalion’s Ty Nelson (SEA) opened up the scoring early in the second period
- Brandt Clarke (LAK) picked up an assist on Tay York’s goal, extending his point streak to 24 games (19G, 36A over that stretch) — his 20 points this postseason place him in a tie with Regina’s Connor Bedard and Gatineau’s Zachary Dean for the CHL lead
- The Colts were without Evan Vierling, who left Game 2 of the series with an injury
- Game 4 is scheduled for Thursday in Barrie
Western Conference
(2) London vs. (8) Kitchener — London leads series 3-1
Game 4: Knights 5-0 Rangers
- Brett Bochu made 25 saves to secure his third shutout of the playoffs, marking the most by a Knight goalie over the past 25 years
- Bochu’s three shutouts this postseason are the most in the OHL
- Denver Barkey, who is ranked 79th in the NHL Central Scouting’s Final Ranking, potted one goal and added two assists to lead all scorers
- Sean McGurn registered a goal and an assist, extending his point streak over these playoffs to eight games (6G, 10A over that stretch)
- McGurn now has 6 goals (ranked 5th in OHL) and 16 points (ranked 3rd in OHL) in the playoffs
- The Knights were without Jackson Edward (BOS) who left Game 3 of the series with an injury
- Kitchener will aim to stave off elimination when they face off against the Knights in London for Game 5 on Thursday
(3) Sarnia vs. (4) Saginaw — Sarnia leads series 3-0
Game 3: Sting 5-3 Spirit
- Five different skaters found the back of the net for the Sting, including Sandis Vilmanis (FLA) who scored the go-ahead goal with 6:51 to go in the third
- The other Sting goalscorers were Nolan Burke (NAS), Luca Del Bel Belluz (CBJ), Ethan Ritchie and Nolan Dillingham
- Rookie blueliner Zayne Parekh potted a pair of goals for the Spirit
- The 16-year-old Parekh is now tied with Barrie’s Clarke for the OHL playoff lead among defensemen with six goals
- Ben Gaudreau (SJ) stopped 30 of the 33 shots he faced to help the Sting edge closer to the series victory
- The Sting is one win away from their first-ever appearance in the OHL’s Western Conference Championship
- Saginaw will aim to stave off elimination at home when they face off against the Spirit in Game 4 on Thursday
What a setup by Sasha Pastujov 😲
Luca Del Bel Belluz with the tap in. #RoadtoMemorialCup | @StingHockey pic.twitter.com/Ix4LLj3QGb
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) April 19, 2023
QMJHL
Eastern Conference
(1) Quebec vs. (5) Rimouski — Quebec leads series 3-0
Game 3: Remparts 4-3 Océanic (OT)
- After giving up three unanswered goals, Quebec’s Pier-Olivier Roy put the Remparts on the edge of advancing by recording the OT winner 8:37 into the extra frame
- Mikael Huchette, Nathan Gaucher (ANA) and Justin Robidas (CAR) opened the scoring by helping the Remparts jump to a 3-0 lead
- Luka Verreault scored a pair for the Oceanic, while Jacob Mathieu added another as Rimouski rallied from a three-goal deficit
- Rimouski’s Robert Gabriel stopped 25-of-26 shots after relieving starter Patrik Hamrla (CAR) who gave up three goals on 13 shots (Quebec outshot Rimouski 39-21)
- Rimouski will aim to stave off elimination at home when they face off against the Remparts for Game 4 tonight
Pier-Olivier Roy donne la victoire aux @quebec_remparts en prolongation.!
Quebec now a perfect 7-0 in the #QPlayoffs #RoadtoMemorialCup pic.twitter.com/QqvKFADpzJ
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) April 19, 2023
Western Conference
(1) Sherbrooke vs. (6) Drummondville — Sherbrooke leads series 3-0
Game 3: Phoenix 4-1 Voltigeurs
- Cole Huckins (CAL) and Israel Mianscum each registered a goal and an assist to help inch Sherbrooke closer to punching their ticket to the next round
- David Spacek (MIN) also tallied a goal, while Joshua Roy (MTL) potted an empty-netter for his 10th of the playoffs (ranked 2nd in the QMJHL)
- Roy is in the midst of an 18-game point streak (dating back to March 3); he also has 19 points (10G, 9A) over seven games this postseason — one point shy of Zachary Dean for the QMJHL lead
- Tristan Roy was the lone scorer for the Voltigeurs, who were outshot 47-20 by the Phoenix
- Drummondville’s Riley Mercer matched a career-high with 43 saves in the loss
- Drummondville will aim to stave off elimination at home when they face off against the Phoenix for Game 4 tonight
(2) Gatineau vs. (4) Rouyn-Noranda — Gatineau leads series 3-0
Game 3: Olympiques 7-3 Huskies
- Antonin Verreault scored twice, while (STL) Zachary Dean (1G, 2A) and (MTL) Riley Kidney (1G, 2A) each put together three-point efforts in Gatineau’s big victory
- Alexis Gendron (PHI), Olivier Boutin and Tristan Luneau (ANA) also scored goals for the Olympiques
- Dean’s three-point night put him at 20 points this postseason — placing him in a tie with Connor Bedard and Brandt Clarke for the CHL scoring lead
- Gendron’s goal was good for his CHL-leading 12th of the postseason
- Anthony Turcotte recorded a pair for the Huskies, while Thomas Verdon netted the other
- Francesco Lapenna, who made 38 saves (his career best in the postseason), had his shutout streak snapped at 160 minutes (a Gatineau franchise record)
- Rouyn-Noranda will aim to stave off elimination at home when they face off against the Olympiques for Game 4 tonight
Tristan Luneau ⏩⏩⏩
The #FlyTogether prospect with one of 7‼️ @OlympiquesGAT goals on the night#RoadtoMemorialCup pic.twitter.com/9OcZfxjT9b
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) April 19, 2023
WHL
Eastern Conference
(1) Winnipeg vs. (4) Moose Jaw — Moose Jaw leads series 2-1
Game 3: Warriors 8-4 ICE
- Jagger Firkus (SEA) and Lynden Lakovic each scored twice for the Warriors as Moose Jaw double up Winnipeg in this high-scoring affair
- Moose Jaw’s Braden Yager led all scorers in this game with four assists, while Ryder Korczak (NYR) put together a three-point effort (1G, 2A) and captain Denton Mateychuk had two assists
- Winnipeg, who had originally jumped out to a 2-0 lead in this game, got goals from Zack Ostapchuk (OTT), Briley Wood, Vladislav Shilo and Josh Medernach
- It marked the first time in six playoffs games that Winnipeg lost after opening the scoring
- Game 4 is scheduled for tonight in Moose Jaw
It's not a party without Martin Rysavy!@MJWARRIORS | @BlueJacketsNHL | #WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingtheFuture pic.twitter.com/7HAhY9NrFq
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 19, 2023
(2) Red Deer vs. (3) Saskatoon — Red Deer leads series 3-0
Game 3: Rebels 3-1 Blades
- Despite giving up the game’s first goal, Red Deer got three unanswered goals from Frantisek Formanek, Dwayne Jean Jr. and Kalan Lind to secure a 3-1 victory
- Rebels netminder Kyle Kelsey turned aside 22-of-23 shots faced, the 19-year-old has only allowed four goals in three games this series
- Saskatoon’s Trevor Wong was the first to find twine in this game — his teammates Brandon Lisowsky (TOR) and Tanner Molendyk were credited with assists on the goal
- Blades goalie Austin Elliott made 23 saves in defeat — the 25 shots he faced on Wednesday were the most he’s seen so far this series
- Saskatoon will aim to stave off elimination on the road when they face off against the Rebels in Red Deer for Game 4 tonight
Western Conference
(1) Seattle vs. (4) Prince George — Seattle leads series 3-0
Game 3: Thunderbirds 8-1 Cougars
- After recording a career-best four points in his last outing, Brad Lambert (WPG) put together a night to remember in Prince George — registering a career-high six points (1G, 5A) against the Cougars in Game 3
- Lambert now has 15 points (2G, 13A) over five playoff games in 2023
- Dylan Guenther (ANA) scored a pair of goals to extend his goal streak to 13 games — he has tallied 17 goals over that stretch, including a WHL-best 10 goals in seven postseason games for Seattle
- Reid Schaefer (NAS), Colton Dach (CHI), Gracyn Sawchyn, Jared Davidson (MTL) and Mekai Sanders rounded out the scoring for the Thunderbirds, while Kevin Korchinski (CHI) had three assists
- Chase Wheatcroft (DAL) scored an unassisted goal for Prince George
- Seattle’s Thomas Milic turned aside 19-of-20 shots in the win — he’s allowed just seven goals in seven playoff games this postseason
- Prince George will aim to stave off elimination at home when they face off against the Thunderbirds for Game 4 tonight
Brad Lambert is on 🔥🔥 tonight
The @NHLJets prospect has 🚨+🍎🍎🍎#RoadtoMemorialCup | @SeattleTbirds pic.twitter.com/1H8MgHMriz
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) April 19, 2023
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