In a 4-3 win over the Charlottetown Islanders, Shawinigan Cataractes wins their first President Cup. Forty-six seconds into overtime for Game 5 of the QMJHL finals and the fates of both teams were revealed.
Charles Beaudoin had scored his first goal of the 2022 playoffs to give Cataractes their second appearance at The Memorial Cup. Even though the series only went to five games it was much closer than it looks. Three out of five games went to overtime.
Dallas Stars’ 2020 first-round pick Mavrik Bourque will have one more tournament to showcase his talent for Stars’ fans before he joins the team in the coming years. The captain of the Cataractes went on to lead the team throughout the playoffs with nine goals and 16 assists.
Just a few points off the points leader were Edmonton Oilers’ 2021 first-round pick, Xavier Bourgault. The Quebec City native was off of a points-high season with 36 goals and 39 assists to combine for a total of 75 points. Bourgault will be going to either the NHL or AHL team next season.
Another draftee name that made an impact on this team was Olivier Nadeau who was drafted in the fourth round in 2021 by the Buffalo Sabres. With 16 points in the playoffs, the forward may have another look from the Sabres and is looking to be called up to the team’s farm system.
With a shortened, best-of-five playoffs until the last series the Cataractes had been dominant for most of the playoffs. In the first two rounds they swept the 2019 QMJHL champions and Memorial Cup winners, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, and then the Gatineau Olympiques.
The Cataractes’ first challenge was against the attendance-leading, Quebec Remparts. The series went to Game 5 for a winner-takes-all match in Quebec City. After a 3-1 lead by the Remparts, the Cataractes scored four unanswered goals to bring them into the finals.
This will be the Cataractes’ second Memorial Cup. They hosted the cup in 2012 and even though they weren’t the champions of their respective league, they won it all in a 2-1 overtime win against the London Knights.
The QMJHL will have two representatives this year as the Memorial Cup will be hosted in by the Saint John Sea Dogs. They will be joined by the winners of the Edmonton Oil Kings vs. Seattle Thunderbirds series in the WHL and the Windsor Spitfires vs. Hamilton Bulldogs series in the OHL.
The Memorial Cup starts on June 20 and will be the first time the tournament is held after Covid-19.
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