It was a difficult start for Bridgewater’s Luke Woodworth and his team, the Drummondville Voltigeurs when they lost 4-0 to the London Knights, Saturday night in the Memorial Cup.
Michael Simpson made 31 saves for the Knights, while Drummondville’s Riley Mercer stopped 18 shots.
Drummondville will face off against the Saginaw Spirit, Sunday, then again Tuesday night against Moosejaw.
Meanwhile, franchise history was made Friday night by the Saginaw Spirit, with their first-ever Memorial Cup win, in what is called Canadian Hockey League’s biggest week.
They edged the Moose Jaw Warriors with a 5-4 victory at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan.
Nic Sima, Owen Beck, Zayne Parekh, Jorian Donovan, and Josh Bloom scored for the hosts while Andrew Oke stopped 22 shots.
Brayden Yager tallied a pair while Denton Mateychuk and Matthew Savoie also found the back of the net for Moose Jaw as Jackson Unger made 31 saves.
Saginaw head coach Chris Lazary said there is no fear in any of these teams.
“We have to keep bringing it. We’re the only team that has nothing to show; we’re here because we’re the hosts but our plan is to make sure at the end of it everyone knows how good this group is.”
Nic Sima nabbed the first goal with only 32.9 seconds left in the first period.
“First game of the Memorial Cup, it’s something you dream of. I was coming to the rink today and thinking ‘this is awesome’,” Sima said.
“To get that first one and more importantly to get the win was awesome.”
Josh Bloom scored the fifth goal, just shy of a couple of minutes into the 3rd.
Last year, the Québec Remparts defeated the Seattle Thunderbirds 5-0 in the final to win the CHL’s top prize in Kamloops.
According to the CHL’s website, the Q League has now won four straight Memorial Cup titles, “the most of any league in the CHL since the tournament switched over to a round-robin format in 1972.”
The 2024 Memorial Cup will mark the first time the CHL’s championship event has been held in the United States in 26 years.
"To get that first one and more importantly to get the win was awesome."@SpiritHockey's Nic Sima and Zayne Parekh reflect on Friday's #MemorialCup victory over Moose Jaw.
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) May 25, 2024
-With files from Kelli Rickard
