Rangers stay perfect, edge Saguenéens 3-2 at Memorial Cup

Photo by Steve Dunsmoor / CHL


KELOWNA, B.C. — The Kitchener Rangers completed a perfect round robin at the 2026 Memorial Cup on Tuesday night, defeating the Chicoutimi Saguenéens 3-2 at Prospera Place to secure a direct berth into Sunday’s championship game.



Kitchener improved to 3-0 in the tournament and continued to showcase its dangerous transition attack, capitalizing on scoring chances despite being outshot 28-18 overall and 13-3 in the third period.



After entering the night averaging 5.5 goals per game through its first two Memorial Cup contests, the Rangers were held to three goals Tuesday but still sit with 14 goals through three games — an average of 4.67 goals per game during round-robin play.



The opening period finished scoreless despite several quality opportunities at both ends. Chicoutimi held an 8-5 edge in shots through the first 20 minutes, though both goaltenders were forced into a number of difficult saves in an entertaining and fast-paced opening frame.



Early in the game, Chicoutimi defenceman #44 Alexis Bernier made one of the stronger defensive plays of the night, matching a speeding Kitchener attacker with composed backward skating before stepping into the body cleanly and preventing the Rangers forward from beating him wide off the rush.



Kitchener broke through at 1:38 of the second period when Luca Romano finished a 2-on-1 rush opportunity. Chicoutimi successfully took away the seam pass option to Christian Humphreys, but Romano kept the puck and snapped a shot upstairs to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.



The Rangers struck again off the rush at 3:57 of the second period. Sam O'Reilly fed Jack Pridham across the ice before burying the rebound off Pridham’s shot. Dylan Edwards also assisted on the play.



Chicoutimi answered midway through the second with one of its cleanest offensive sequences of the game. Christophe Berthelot carried the puck across the blue line before leaving a drop pass between his legs to Nathan Lecompte, who quickly fed Emile Ricard for a finish over the glove of Christian Kirsch.



Despite relatively modest shot totals through two periods — tied 15-15 overall after 40 minutes — the game featured far more Grade-A scoring opportunities than the numbers suggested.



Lucas Beckman kept the Saguenéens within striking distance throughout the night, turning aside several point-blank opportunities while finishing with 15 saves on 18 shots for an .833 save percentage.



Kitchener restored its two-goal cushion almost immediately in the third period. Just 21 seconds into the frame, Pridham buried his tournament-leading fourth goal after taking a feed from O’Reilly, with Edwards also collecting his second assist of the night.



Edwards earned player of the game honours after his two-assist performance.



A frightening moment midway through the third period briefly shifted attention away from the ice when a puck sailed over the glass and into the crowd, missing the protective netting near one end of the rink. Medical personnel attended to the fan for several minutes before the individual eventually rose to their feet and acknowledged the crowd to a loud ovation while being escorted from the arena under their own power.



Tempers escalated later in the period when Jordan Tourigny was initially assessed a minor penalty after appearing to repeatedly stomp near the skate area of Humphreys following a play along the boards. Following a review, officials upgraded the infraction to a match penalty. When the replay was shown on the video board, the Chicoutimi defender was showered with boos from the Kelowna crowd.



The Saguenéens continued to push despite trailing by two goals. After a chaotic stretch that included a controversial no-call during a 5-on-3 sequence, Mavrik Lachance cut the deficit to 3-2 at the 16:06 mark of the third period, finishing high glove side off a cross-slot feed from Emmanuel Vermette. Liam Lefebvre also assisted on the play.



Chicoutimi pulled Beckman for an extra attacker with 1:30 remaining and generated several final opportunities, including a dangerous puck that slid through the crease in the dying seconds, but Kirsch and the Rangers held firm.



Kirsch finished with 26 saves on 28 shots for a .929 save percentage as Kitchener survived a heavy third-period push to remain unbeaten in the tournament.



Kitchener’s victory secured first place in the round robin and a direct berth into the Memorial Cup final, while Chicoutimi’s tournament fate now depends on Wednesday night’s round-robin finale between the host Kelowna Rockets and the Everett Silvertips.