Game Recap: Rangers Win Third Memorial Cup After 6-2 Victory Over Silvertips

The Kitchener Rangers secured the third Memorial Cup title in franchise history after a 6-2 win over the Everett Silvertips in Kelowna, B.C., Sunday night.

Luke Ellinas (OTT), Dylan Edwards, Jared Woolley (LA), Jack Pridham (CHI), Sam O’Reilly (TB) and Christian Humphrey’s (COL) scored for Kitchener while Christian Kirsch (SJ) made 30 saves. Matias Vanhanen and Carter Bear (DET) found the back of the net for the Silvertips as Anders Miller stopped 27 shots.

O’Reilly was the recipient of the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as tournament MVP after he recorded three goals and eight points in only four games. In the process, he became just the fourth player in CHL history to win regular season and playoff MVP in their respective member league and then collect the same award at the Memorial Cup.

Kitchener opened the scoring at 5:47 as Ellinas got the faintest of tips on Alexander Bilacki’s point shot for his first of the tournament but the lead was short-lived. Vanhanen’s fourth of the tournament came just 28 seconds later after he buried a rebound outfront after Landon DuPont’s initial shot had been saved.

But the Rangers re-took the lead at 13:15 as Sam O’Reilly’s (TB) backhand pass from the wall sprung Edwards in alone and he made no mistake to make it 2-1.

Woolley pushed the Rangers lead to 3-1 at 15:26 of the second as he took Haeden Ellis’ pass off his skate before he picked his spot top shelf from the low slot for his second of the Memorial Cup.

The Rangers needed all of 26 seconds of the third period to make it 4-1 as Pridham slid the puck five-hole on a 5-on-3 power play for his tournament best fifth goal.

Just 37 seconds later it was 5-1 on the power play as O’Reilly was the beneficiary of a fortunate bounce as his shot off a rebound went between Miller’s legs before it hit the right skate of Luke Vlooswyk (PHI) and rolled into the net.

However, the Tips fought back as at 2:59 Julius Miettinen (SEA) found Bear backdoor for his fourth of the tournament to cut the deficit to 5-2 but Humphrey’s secured the win with an empty-net goal with 1:37 to play.

The title is the third in Kitchener’s history after triumph’s in 1982 and 2003. It also marks the third straight year an OHL club has won the Memorial Cup after Saginaw (2024) and London (2025).

2026 Memorial Cup schedule:
May 22 – Game 1: Kitchener 5-0 Kelowna
May 23 – Game 2: Everett 5-3 Chicoutimi
May 24 – Game 3: Kelowna 2-3 (OT) Chicoutimi
May 25 – Game 4: Everett 2-6 Kitchener
May 26 – Game 5: Chicoutimi 2-3 Kitchener
May 27 – Game 6: Kelowna 0-4 Everett
May 29 – Semi-final: Chicoutimi 1-6 Everett
May 31 – Final: Kitchener 6-2 Everett