Latest news with #QMJHL
CBC
a day ago
- Business
- CBC
Newfoundland Regiment names first head coach and general manager
It's been just over five months since the Newfoundland Regiment unveiled its name and logo to a room full of screaming hockey fans eagerly awaiting the return of elite-level hockey in St. John's. On Monday, the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League's (QMJHL) newest franchise slotted in another big piece of the puzzle, by naming its first head coach and general manager during a news conference at the JAG hotel in the city's downtown. Gordie Dwyer will command the squad from behind the bench and in the front office. Dwyer spent the last three seasons in those roles with the Acadie–Bathurst Titan, meaning the ownership group, SPS Entertainment, didn't have to look far to find its first leader since buying the New Brunswick-based franchise last year. "Once our ownership group got to know the people in Bathurst, it became pretty obvious to us the direction we should go," team president Glenn Stanford told reporters on Monday. Beyond the QMJHL — also known as the Q — Dwyer has coaching and playing experience spanning the globe. As a player he spent time making a name as a gritty winger in major junior before making the leap to pro. In the late 90s and into the early 2000s Dwyer split time between the American Hockey League and National Hockey League with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens clubs. As a head coach he found jobs throughout the Q, with a stint in the professional Kontinental Hockey League in Russia. Dwyer also served as a coach with Canada's U18 club on the international level. But the new bench boss has little time to soak in the moment. The Regiment is looking ahead to the QMJHL selection draft on Thursday. It has some draft capital in tow with three early first-round picks, and there are local players who could be among the top picks. "It's our responsibility to know the players and know the draft. There's a lot of work that goes into it, not just looking at a player once or twice," Dwyer said. "Ultimately we can't control the draft and where players happen [to go], but we've definitely got our eye on a few top prospects for sure." Looking ahead With the draft just days away, Stanford is busy getting things ready for opening night this fall. They'll release the regular season schedule in full on Wednesday, giving fans their first real look at the calendar for 2025-26. Stanford said there's still a few jobs on the table to hire for — an athletic therapist and assistant coaches — but those processes are underway. And what good is a logo without a jersey? Stanford said they'll unveil the sweaters on Thursday as well. Over 2,000 season tickets have been sold so far. Stanford said he expects more will sell once other packages become available. "I really do believe this week once the schedule comes out, once you see the results of the draft, hopefully, we'll have some more excitement around here next week," he said. The dressing room at the Mary Brown's Centre will undergo some changes to fit the criteria of a major junior hockey club. Stanford said the franchise will tie in some Royal Newfoundland Regiment themes in that makeover.
Ottawa Citizen
3 days ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Wildcats eliminated from Memorial Cup after 5-2 loss to Knights
The dream season for the Moncton Wildcats, one of promise and outstanding achievement, came to an emotional end after a 5-2 semifinal loss to the London Knights Friday at the Memorial Cup in Rimouski. Article content Article content London's Blake Montgomery and Jessi Nurmi scored 10 minutes apart in the final period to snap a 2-2 tie and the Knights' star forward Easton Cowan clinched the win with an empty net goal late as London advances to the championship Sunday against the Medicine Hat Tigers. Article content Article content For the Wildcats, it was oh so close. Article content Article content 'I am super proud of everyone on our team, the coaches down to the Black Aces who didn't play,' said Wildcats captain Markus Vidicek. 'We knew it was going to be a battle all night long. We threw punches, they threw punches but, in the end, they won a third period, and we didn't.' Article content The Cats set franchise records in many areas, including best winning percentage with a 53-11-2-0 mark in the regular season and captured their third QMJHL title with a victory over Rimouski to claim the Gilles Courteau Trophy on May 19. Article content The 16-3 playoff record was also a franchise best, exceeding the 16-5 slates the team recorded in winning the 2006 and 2010 QMJHL titles. Article content This season proved to be a mammoth improvement from the previous campaign in which lofty expectations were met with a devastating turn in a four-game opening-round playoff sweep to Chicoutimi. Article content Article content But this year was different, with new head coach Gardiner MacDougall behind the bench and new general manager Taylor MacDougall, his son, pulling the strings on numerous high quality player acquisitions to form a lineup that gelled almost from the get-go. Article content They were ranked No. 1 in the Canadian Hockey League many times during the year and after clinching the regular season title in March, they were even better in the post-season to earn a berth to their third Memorial Cup tournament. Article content 'It is gut wrenching because of the faith Mr. (Robert) Irving put in us,' said Wildcats head coach Gardiner MacDougall after Friday's loss. Article content 'When you don't win your last game, you are very disappointed as a coach, but the group came so far. You are representing a city, you are representing a province, you are representing our league. There is certainly disappointed feelings but the other part of it is you see the growth of the group and what a difference they made. They set new standards, and we just came a little short.'
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
PLAYOFF TRACKER: London Knights beat Moncton, advance to Memorial Cup Final
The London Knights will have a chance at Memorial Cup redemption on Sunday after beating the Moncton Wildcats The London Knights will have a chance at Memorial Cup redemption on Sunday after beating the Moncton Wildcats The London Knights will have a chance at Memorial Cup redemption on Sunday after beating the Moncton Wildcats in the tournament's semi-final Friday night in Rimouski, QC. Knights forward Blake Montgomery broke a 2-2 tie early in the third period before Jesse Nurmi added an insurance goal midway through the frame, and Easton Cowan sealed it with an empty-netter, helping London to a 5-2 win over the QMJHL champions. 'All around, I thought that was our best game of the tournament so far,' Cowan said. 'We had a really good first, kind of laid back in the second, but our third was probably our best period of the tournament so far. We had everyone scoring today, got lots of depth, and it was a huge win for us.' The victory sets up a rematch of the Knights' final group stage game against the WHL champions, the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Tigers went undefeated in the opening round, earning a bye to Sunday's final. 'We know we had a tough opponent on the other side, national championship semifinal,' shared Moncton goalie Dyllan Gill post-game. 'It's heartbreaking, and I think every guy in our room is going to have a little bit of regret and what if in their head, but ultimately super proud of the group.' London became the first CHL team since the 2010 Windsor Spitfires to qualify for back-to-back Memorial Cup Finals. They lost the 2024 championship game to last year's tournaments hosts, the Saginaw Spirit. 'It means everything,' the Knights' Landon Sim said. 'We were playing for this all year to get back in that game.' Round 1 Game 1 – March 28, Attack 1, Knights 6 Game 2 – March 30, Attack 3, Knights 6 Game 3 – April 1, Knights 7, Attack 4 Game 4 – April 3, Knights 8, Attack 4 Round 2 Game 1 - April 10, Knights 6, Otters 3 Game 2 - April 12, Knights 7, Otters 2 Game 3 - April 15, Knights 4, Erie 0 Game 4 - April 17, Knights 4, Erie 3 Western Conference Championship Series Game 1 - April 25, Knights 5, Rangers 2 Game 2 - April 27, Knights 6, Rangers 2 Game 3 - April 28, Knights 3, Rangers 2 Game 4 - April 30, Knights 4, Rangers 2 OHL Finals Game 1 - May 8, Generals 4, Knights 2 Game 2 - May 10, Knights 5, Generals 2 Game 3 - May 12, Knights 7, Generals 5 Game 4 - May 13, Knights 5, Generals 2 Game 5 - May 15, Knights 5, Generals 2 Memorial Cup Game 1 - May 24, Moncton Wildcats 2, London Knights 3 Game 2 - May 25, Rimouski Oceanic 1, London Knights 3 Game 3 - May 27, London Knights 3, Medicine Hat Tigers 1 Game 4 - May 30, London Knights 5, Moncton Wildcats 2
Fox Sports
4 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
London beats Moncton 5-2 to advance to face Medicine Hat in Memorial Cup final
Associated Press RIMOUSKI, Quebec (AP) — Blake Montgomery broke a tie at 3:35 of the third period and the London Knights beat the Moncton Wildcats 5-2 on Friday night in the Memorial Cup semifinal to advance to face the Medicine Hat Tigers on Sunday in the final. Montgomery slipped the puck past goalie Mathis Rousseau on a break off a short backhand feed from Sam Dickinson. On Tuesday night, Western Hockey League champion Medicine Hat beat Ontario Hockey lewague winner London 3-1 to advance to the final in the four-team tournament. The Knights lost last year in the final, falling 4-3 to the host Saginaw Spirit. Landon Sim, Denver Barkey, Jesse Nurmi and Easton Cowan — into an empty net — also scored for London. Austin Elliott made 21 saves. Caleb Desnoyers and Dyllan Gill had power-play goals for Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League champion Moncton, with Gill tying it at 2 in the second period. Rousseau stopped 32 shots for the Wildcats. Moncton won the QMJHL title in Rimouski last week, beating the Oceanic in six games. On Wednesday, the Wildcats beat host Rimouski 6-2 to reach the semifinal. ___ AP sports: recommended
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Flames Prospect Morin's Memorial Cup Campaign Ends In Defeat To Knights In Sem-Final
Flames Prospect Morin's Memorial Cup Campaign Ends In Defeat To Knights In Sem-Final Calgary prospect Etienne Morin and the Moncton Wildcats' push for the Memorial Cup came to an end as they lost 5-2 to the OHL champions London Knights in the semi-final on Friday evening. Morin made many efforts in the man-advantage for the QMJHL champions. Advertisement In the first power play, the 20-year-old set up teammates Vincent Collard and Caleb Desnoyers but they couldn't finish. He even put up a shot that rang the crossbar. In the second man-advantage, Morin and the Wildcats finally struck oil, feeding the puck to Desnoyers who sniped the puck into the goal from the left faceoff circle, allowing Morin to register his first assist and third point of the tournament. The score got tied 1-1 This was Moncton's first successful power play after the previous four in the tournament did not yield a goal. Morin was called back into action for the Wildcats' third power play. He put up two blocked shots, but Moncton levelled the game 2-2 as soon as his shift ended on the man-advantage. Advertisement The 2023 second-round pick was quarterbacking 5v5 situations as well, as close to the end of the second period, London's Jared Woolley broke his stick in the offensive zone and wound up having to take Landon Sim's stick, leaving the Knights pseudo-shorthanded. Morin put up a shot that got blocked by Sim and fed another pass to Desnoyers which did not find the back of the net. Unfortunately, in the fourth of the third period, Morin would be unable to contain London's Blake Montgomery from scoring the game-winning goal. The Quebec native never recovered after that. The London Knights will now face another Flames prospect in Andrew Basha and the WHL champions Medicine Hat Tigers in the Memorial Cup Final on Sunday Puck drop is at 7 pm ET/4 pm ET.
