Ritchie Brings Tigers A Win Against Wildcats At The Memorial Cup
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By Milica Zivic
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Summary:
- The Medicine Hat Tigers defeated the Moncton Wildcats 3-1 at the Memorial Cup.
- Ryder Ritchie scored twice and added an assist for his team.
- Moncton couldn’t overcome the offensive pressure despite Mathis Rousseau’s 38 saves.
Ryder Ritchie delivered a standout performance on Monday, bagging two goals and one assist to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 3-1 win over the Moncton Wildcats at the Memorial Cup.
It was another tight matchup for the Tigers, who are now 2-0 in the tournament following their dramatic 5-4 victory over the host Rimouski Oceanic on Friday.
Ritchie: “It Was a Huge Win For Us”
The 18-year-old Swedish-Canadian player born in Québec opened the scoring early, burying one just over four minutes into the game.
He struck again on the power play midway through the second period, giving Medicine Hat a 2-0 edge.
Moncton responded quickly in the third with a goal from Dyllan Gill just 31 seconds in, but couldn’t find the equalizer.
With Moncton pressing late and their goalie pulled, a too-many-men penalty with just over a minute left undercut their momentum. Gavin McKenna then sealed the win with an empty-netter in the dying seconds.
Ritchie, now with three goals through two games, credited his linemates for helping him shine.
They’re finding me and I’m just trying to put myself in good spots for them. It was a huge win for us, but we still need to clean up a few things going forward in this event.
Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins praised Ritchie’s form and highlighted goaltender Harrison Meneghin, who stopped 21 shots.
Desjardins described Meneghin as “solid throughout the year” and “very sharp in this tournament“.
Sad News During the Game
Despite being outshot 41-22, Moncton stayed competitive thanks to a strong 38-save showing from Mathis Rousseau.
Tragedy struck before the game when Moncton GM Taylor MacDougall received news that his father-in-law, Pat Buckley, had passed away suddenly.
Head coach Gardiner MacDougall learned the heartbreaking news just minutes before puck drop.
So it’s a devastating loss and certainly the hardest game I ever had to coach.
Heated Games Ahead
With the win, the Western Hockey League champions move into a highly anticipated clash with the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights on Tuesday.
Both teams are undefeated, and the winner will punch their ticket straight to Sunday’s Memorial Cup final. The loser will get another shot in Friday’s semifinal.
The Wildcats, representing the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, will face Rimouski on Wednesday.
Both teams currently sit at 0-2. Interestingly, Moncton defeated Rimouski in six games to win the QMJHL championship series.
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