The Moncton Wildcats took a while to get their legs under them but, in the end, landed on their feet with a 6-2 triumph over the Rimouski Océanic in the final round robin game of the 2025 Memorial Cup.
The win sends the Cats to Friday’s Semi-Final while the loss eliminates the host Océanic from tournament competition.
Gabe Smith led the Wildcats attack with two goals and two assists. Julius Sumpf, Juraj Pekarcik, Etienne Morin and Alex Mercier scored the other goals for the Wildcats. Preston Lounsbury chipped in with a pair of assists while Mathis Rousseau kicked aside 32 shots for the victory. For the Océanic side, Maël St-Denis and Mathieu Cataford replied with one goal apiece, while Mathis Langevin offered a solid 27-save effort between the pipes.
The Océanic came out flying and kept the pressure on for what proved to be a very one-sided opening period. However, it was the Wildcats who struck first at 7:39. Pekarcik retrieved the puck deep in Oceanic territory before delivering a perfect cross-ice feed through traffic to Sumpf, who buried the puck into a wide-open net for the first goal by a Moncton forward in the tournament. The Océanic would continue to press before finally breaking through on Rousseau at the 13:27 mark. Maxime Coursol’s original shot from in tight was denied by the Moncton netminder but the rebound popped free to an unchecked St-Denis who would chop a backhander home for his second of the tournament. The Océanic would pull ahead with 2:49 remaining in the frame when Olivier Théberge took a couple of steps in from the line and connected with a wide open Cataford who deflected the puck past Rousseau. The 17-6 shots total in favor of the Océanic was indicative of the overall play.
The Wildcats went all out to rebound in the second period, increasing their tempo and earning an 11-9 advantage in shots. The QMJHL Champs tied the game at 2-2 early, capitalizing just 87 seconds into the frame. Dylan MacKinnon’s shot from the line was deftly tipped waist high in the slot by Pekarcik and past Langevin. Moncton would retake the lead at the 4:05 mark when Preston Lounsbury intercepted an Océanic turnover in the rear slot and fired a shot that went wide, only to see Smith follow up the play and deposit the loose puck past Langevin.
Moncton would register three goals in the final period to keep its season alive. The Cats grabbed a two-goal advantage at 4:02 when Morin walked in and unleashed a low wrister that eluded Langevin and gave the Calgary Flames prospect his second tally of the tournament. Both teams would trade chances throughout the period as Rimouski opened up the play in an attempt to chip away at the Wildcats lead. However, Rousseau and a strong Moncton defensive effort was up to the task. Smith would deliver his second of the evening into an empty net after a hard-fought race for the puck at 18:12, while Mercier would follow that up with an empty netter of his own to close out the scoring. The Wildcats outshot the Oceanic 16-8 in the final period.
The Wildcats will now face the OHL Champion London Knights, who defeated Moncton in overtime during round robin play, in Friday’s Semi-Final. Game time is set for 7pm ET/8pm AT. All tournament games are available on TSN and RDS.
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