Memorial Cup: Owen Beck pulls out all the stops to propel his club into the semi-finals

Last night, the Peterborough Petes and the Kamloops Blazers, hosts of the Memorial Cup, crossed swords in a tie-breaker.

We’re talking logic here, since, on paper, the Remparts and Thunderbirds appear to be the best teams in the tournament.

It didn’t start well for Peterborough, who were down 3-1 after 20 minutes. The club didn’t seem to be at the top of its game in a match that, let me remind you, had no tomorrow.

So it started to get physical.

They called it a charge, btw. The play is under review.

– Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) June 2, 2023

No matter, the Blazers scored a fourth goal to make it 4-1 to the crowd favourites. At that point, the game seemed out of reach.

But the Petes hadn’t said their last word.

From there, in just over 10 minutes of the second half, the game turned. The Petes scored three times in a row to create a tie that lasted until overtime.

It’s rare enough that this game is necessary, but it’s even rarer to see it go to overtime. In fact, it’s never happened in the history of the Memorial Cup.

Meanwhile, Quebec City is resting up for Sunday’s final…

Owen Beck, shy on the offensive end since the start of the tournament, took matters into his own hands. The Canadian prospect made a fine run with the puck to orchestrate the winning goal.

WHAT A GAME! #GoHabsGo prospect Owen Beck drives the net, draws the defenders, and sets up JR Avon for the game-winning goal.

Peterborough simply refused to die.

The Petes will face Jared Davidson and the Seattle Thunderbirds in the #MemorialCup semifinal. pic.twitter.com/BYpBTDuj6X

– Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) June 2, 2023

It’s exactly what you’d expect from a prospect of his calibre. It’s a beautiful game, and I’m sure the Canadiens’ top brass enjoyed seeing him play like that at an important moment.

And with good reason.

Tonight, the Seattle Thunderbirds and Peterborough Petes will cross swords in the semi-final match-up. The winner will face the Quebec Remparts on Sunday.

Patrick Roy and his men will face either Owen Beck or Jared Davidson. A CH prospect now has a 50/50 chance of winning the Memorial Cup. The only question is which one.

In a gust

– Normal.

The CH won’t offer Jack Gorniak a chancehttps://t.co/4azdRqndZJ

– RDS (@RDSca) June 2, 2023

– Probably, yes.

From @JayOnSC: @markhmasters shares his sense of what he expects to see happen within the Maple Leafs organization with new GM Brad Treliving taking the reigns. https://t.co/LU1q8QIBfK

– TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) June 2, 2023

– Good point.

.@FriedgeHNIC You raised the point today of an up-and-coming debate about the real power GMs will have in the future, and how much will remain in the hands of Pres of Hockey Ops.
That very thing has been happening in MLB, where GMs often are not the real decision makers anymore.

– Marc Antoine Godin (@MAGodin) June 2, 2023

– Yes.

Stanley Cup Final | Dale Tallon’s shadow… https://t. co/UOmuXuvCnt

– La Presse Sports (@LaPresse_Sports) June 2, 2023

– Boxing news.

The folks at@EOTTM11should find him a stronger opponent for his next fight in September, in Gatineau.https://t.co/VAY9mhMpKI

– Sylvain St-Laurent (@Syl_St_Laurent) June 2, 2023