The semi-finals of the 2018 Memorial Cup saw two Montreal Canadiens going head-to-head, but Cale Fleury and the Regina Pats came out on top.
The Regina Pats continued their winning ways at the 2018 Memorial Cup Friday night. Their WHL revenge against the Swift Current Broncos earned them a spot in the semi-finals and a repeat match of the opening tournament game. It would be fellow Montreal Canadiens prospects facing off for the second time, and the result wasn’t any different.
Hamilton was in a tough spot as they found themselves down 3-1 in the third. Nicolas Mattinen put them on the board in the midway through the game, and they needed another goal to make things closer.
Will Bitten has had his chances but has failed to find his name on the scoreboard. Nearly a minute after Sam Steel scored, the 19-year-old got his chance. A pass off the boards made its way into the Pats zone, and Bitten got to it first. The shot went over Max Paddock‘s glove and it as a one-goal hockey game.
🚨 GOOOOOALLL! 🚨 @WillBitten14 brings the Dogs back within 1!
— Brantford Bulldogs (@BulldogsOHL) May 26, 2018
3-2 Pats with just under 5 minutes left to play. #BulldogsAssemble pic.twitter.com/p1rFMj7SFI
It was all Hamilton after that goal. The team had seven shots on net desperately trying to tie the game up, but Paddock stopped them all. With nothing to lose, goaltender Kaden Fulcher skated to the bench. Unfortunately, the Pats got the empty-netter, and it was all over for the Bulldogs.
As tough as it is to lose, Hamilton has a lot to be proud of. Their dominance in the OHL Playoffs, all the way to the J. Ross Robertson Cup, was a CHL highlight especially after taking down the juggernaut that was the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
Bitten’s overall play didn’t deter much despite cooling off drastically on the offensive side of things. The next step for him will be development camp where he looks like a candidate to make the Laval Rocket in October.
As for Cale Fleury, the finals of the Memorial Cup will see him and Regina facing Acadie-Bathurst Titan. The two teams combined for a highly offensive match in the round-robin but it’ll take a lot more structure to leave as the cup champions.
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