Habs Prospects
Canadiens Prospect Owen Beck Extends Memorial Cup Run
Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck survived to fight another day.
With things looking rather dire for Beck, the never-say-die Peterborough Petes put together one of their best outings of the season to earn a 4-2 win over the Quebec Remparts, who were previously undefeated at the Memorial Cup.
Petes Survive
Goaltender Michael Simpson set the tone for the Petes, making a big save on Remparts forward James Malatesta’s breakaway opportunity early in the game. He followed it up with an equally impressive save on a high-danger chance by Justin Robidas.
The strong play from Simpson prevented the Remparts from playing with a lead, which would have been a mountain too high to climb for a team like Peterborough.
The Petes rewarded their goalie by scoring two goals midway through the second period, the first of which occurred following strong neutral zone play by Beck.
It should be noted that Peterborough played an excellent game, not only because they maintained their physical play without taking an unreasonable amount of penalties, but they also took advantage of every single mistake by the Remparts.
It was similar to what we’ve seen from the Florida Panthers in the NHL playoffs this season.
Sit back, play a suffocating brand of hockey, wait for a mistake, and then pounce.
And pounce they did.
The Petes take advantage of a Remparts mistake, and Tucker Robertson opens the scoring for Peterborough.
1-0 Petes. pic.twitter.com/2i631a5Tje
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) May 31, 2023
Beck was held off the scoresheet for the Petes, though it should be noted he bounced back from his previous outing against the Kamloops Blazers, where he won fewer than 50 percent of his draws for the first time in a very long time. The Canadiens prospect finished with a 59 percent efficiency at the dot.
Quebec rallied and scored one of the cleanest goals of the tournament, a tic-tac-toe play that culminated with Nathan Gaucher’s second goal in Kamloops.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we have another goal. Tic-tac-toe, Nathan Gaucher gets his second of the Memorial Cup for the Remparts.
3-2 Petes lead.#2023MemorialCup pic.twitter.com/bX88l7NXMp
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) May 31, 2023
But it was too little, too late for the Remparts.
Remparts head coach Patrick Roy decided to pull William Rousseau following a lucky insurance goal by the Petes that pushed the score to 4-2, though it was more a matter of load management in this particular case, seeing as Quebec was already guaranteed to feature in the Memoria Cup final.
Speaking of Remparts goaltenders that may end up garnering some interest from the Canadiens, take a look at Quentin Miller’s best save of the game, a fantastic desperation save that took place shortly after he entered the game.
Miller, 18, is the designated backup in Quebec and also happens to be available in the upcoming 2023 Draft. He’s currently ranked 11th among North American goaltenders.
Quentin Miller comes in cold for the Remparts and makes a ridiculous save.#2023MemorialCup pic.twitter.com/NPhxatKGNL
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) May 31, 2023
What’s Next At The Memorial Cup
With the impressive win in the books, the Petes have found new life at the Memorial Cup.
But as per usual, things won’t be easy.
While the Remparts will have to sit and wait to see who they’ll face in the final, the Petes will feature in a tiebreaker match between themselves and the loser of Wednesday night’s matchup between the Kamloops Blazers and the Seattle Thunderbirds.
The tiebreaker game will take place on Thursday.
For the record, the Thunderbirds have eliminated the Blazers in the third round of the WHL playoffs for two years running, but you learn to expect the unexpected at the Memorial Cup, and consequently, the Blazers should not be taken lightly.
Canadiens prospect Jared Davidson was instrumental for Seattle in this year’s series against Kamloops and should feature prominently in what is easily the most important game of his career to date.
We’ll Have Fun, Fun, Fun
Every once in a while I’m reminded of how fun Junior hockey can be.
Wait.
Strike that.
I’m reminded of how fun Junior hockey is, every game.
It’s chaotic, entertaining, exciting, high-event, and easily the best bang for your buck when it comes to purchasing hockey tickets in Canada and the United States.
Unfortunately, for the most part, families have been priced out of watching NHL games live, which is a damn shame given the best way to ensure someone becomes a lifelong hockey fan is to bring them to a game.
But the CHL offers a workaround, one that will provide more entertainment while costing less of your hard-earned money.
The next time you have an opportunity to watch a Junior hockey game, I strongly suggest seizing the opportunity, especially if you’re looking to introduce someone to the beautiful game.
And I promise you’ll have fun, fun, fun until the schedule takes the T-Birds away.