Another year has passed and the 2014 Edmonton Oil Kings remain the last WHL team to win a Memorial Cup.
The Everett Silvertips were hoping to end the drought in Kelowna on Sunday, but it was the Kitchener Rangers lifting the trophy after a convincing 6-2 victory.
After winning both OHL regular season and playoff MVP, Sam O’Reilly completed the trifecta and a dominant season with Memorial Cup MVP honours as well.
Rangers forward Luke Ellinas opened the scoring in the championship game 5:47 into the first, but Matias Vanhanen equalized for the Silvertips less than 30 seconds later.
Dylan Edwards restored the Kitchener lead on a breakaway in the latter half of the period and it was a lead the OHL champions would never relinquish.
Jared Woolley extended it to 3-1 with less than five minutes to play in the middle frame, then a pair of Everett penalties late in the period marked the beginning of the end for the ‘Tips.
Entering the third with a two-man advantage, the Rangers scored two powerplay goals in 37 seconds courtesy of Jack Pridham and Sam O’Reilly.
The Rangers capitalize on the two-man advantage, scoring on the 5-on-3 to open up a three-goal lead in the third! šš„šØ #MemorialCup pic.twitter.com/sXKU8adbGf
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 1, 2026
The Rangers capitalize on the two-man advantage, scoring on the 5-on-3 to open up a three-goal lead in the third! šš„šØ #MemorialCup pic.twitter.com/sXKU8adbGf
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 1, 2026
Although Carter Bear responded in short order for Everett to make it 5-2, that’s as close as the WHL representatives would come.
Christian Humphreys, whose status for the final was uncertain after the infamous stomping incident on Tuesday night, ended up icing the game late with an empty-net goal.
As the seconds ticked down at the end of the game, the Rangers fans cheered loudly as their players poured off the bench to celebrate the Memorial Cup victory.
Both teams managed 32 shots on Sunday night, with Christian Kirsch turning aside 30 for Kitchener and Anders Miller registering 26 saves for Everett.
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It’s the third CHL title in Kitchener’s franchise history and their first since hosting the tournament in 2008.
For Everett, it’s a disappointing end to a spectacular season that saw the Silvertips win the franchise’s first WHL title and get to the Memorial Cup final in their first-ever appearance at the tournament.
Tonight’s game also marks an official end to the second Memorial Cup hosted in Kelowna. While the Rockets were underwhelming on the ice, it was undoubtedly a successful tournament for the city.
Next year’s Memorial Cup will head back east as it’s set to be hosted by the Guelph Storm of the OHL.
