Manitoba fends off BC to advance to gold medal game at 2023 WHL Cup

Red Deer, Alta. – Team Manitoba is off to the gold medal game after defeating Team B.C. in semifinal action at the 2023 WHL Cup presented by FPS Payment.

A late second-period goal from Zachary Lansard (Regina Pats / Ste. Anne, Man.) gave Manitoba a 3-1 advantage heading into the third period of play. Lansard’s second goal of the tournament held up as the game winner while Manitoba staved off third-period pressure from B.C., being outshot 10-4 in the final 20 minutes of play.

GAME SUMMARY
PLAYER STATISTICS

Manitoba meant business in Saturday’s semifinal, jumping out to a 2-0 lead early in the second period of play.

Brayden Thompson (Spokane Chiefs / Winnipeg, Man.) opened the scoring 4:01 into the middle period, scoring his first goal of the tournament. A mere 1:50 later, captain Jaxon Jacobson (Brandon Wheat Kings / Brandon, Man.) recorded his third goal of the tournament to give Manitoba a 2-0 advantage.

B.C. responded 10 minutes later as Joshua Lee found the back of the net (Edmonton Oil Kings / North Vancouver, B.C.) to cut the Manitoba lead to 2-1, though Lansard responded moments later to restore the two-goal advantage for the Keystone Province.

Liam Ruck (Medicine Hat Tigers / Osoyoos, B.C.) pulled B.C. back within one only 45 seconds into the third period, registering his sixth goal of the tournament. But unfortunately for B.C., that was as close as they would get, falling by a 3-2 score.

In net, Peyton Shore (Red Deer Rebels / Winnipeg, Man.) made 30 saves, including nine in the third period, to backstop Team Manitoba.

Team Manitoba will now await the results from Saturday’s second semifinal between Alberta and Saskatchewan before facing the winner in the gold medal game of the 2023 WHL Cup presented by FPS Payment. Sunday’s gold medal game is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT at the Peavey Mart Centrium.

For Team B.C., their run at the 2023 WHL Cup will conclude Sunday morning at 10:15 a.m. MT when they take on the loser of Saturday’s second semifinal and battle for bronze.

The 2023 WHL Cup presented by FPS Payment is supported by Tourism Red Deer.

About FPS Payment
FPS Payment is a company specializing in the sale of payment terminals, focusing mainly on the restaurant and retail industry. Thanks to their simple and secure payment solutions, FPS greatly simplifies the lives of businesses and their transactions. Their payment terminals offer exceptional ease of use, allowing merchants to accept payments smoothly and efficiently. Additionally, security is a top priority for FPS, ensuring that their customers’ sensitive financial information is protected. With FPS Payment, businesses can focus on their core business with confidence knowing that their transactions are being processed reliably and securely.

About Tourism Red Deer
Tourism Red Deer serves as the destination development corporation for Red Deer and the region. The primary role of Tourism Red Deer is to be the leading organization for all things tourism, driving the development of Red Deer and the region into a compelling tourism destination animated by attractive experiences, engaged visitors, exciting events, and welcoming hosts. The vision of Tourism Red Deer is to position Red Deer as the top major event destination among mid-sized cities in Canada by 2030. The mission of Tourism Red Deer is to grow the visitor economy in the Red Deer region through impactful tourism marketing, destination development, and the facilitation of tourism attraction and support.