Seattle Thunderbirds beat Peterborough 4-1 to reach Memorial Cup final
Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Jeremy Hanzel, front, looks around after checking Peterborough Petes forward Brennan Othmann during the second period of a CHL Memorial Cup hockey semifinal Friday, June 2, 2023, in Kamloops, British Columbia. Credit: AP/Jeff McIntosh
KAMLOOPS, British Columbia — Thomas Milic made 27 saves and the Seattle Thunderbirds became the fifth U.S. franchise to reach the Memorial Cup final, beating the Peterborough Petes 4-1 on Friday night in the semifinal game.
Western Hockey League champion Seattle will face Quebec on Sunday for the title, with Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy stepping aside as coach of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Remparts after the tournament.
U.S. franchises have won four titles, the Portland Winterhawks in 1983 and 1998 and the Spokane Chiefs in 1991 and 2008. The Detroit Junior Red Wings (1995), Portland (2013) and the Erie Otters (2017) lost in championship games.
Brad Lambert, Colton Dach, Kyle Crnkovic and Nico Myatovic scored for Seattle.
Lambert opened the scoring with 4:28 left in the second period, beating goalie Michael Simpson with a backhander off a rebound.
Dach made it 2-0 at 1:28 of the third, and Brennan Othmann countered for Peterborough at 2:41. Crnkovic restored the two-goal margin at 9:33. Myatovic scored into an empty net with 2:09 left.
Also Quebec’s general manager, Roy is seeking his second Memorial Cup after leading the Remparts to the 2006 title in New Brunswick. He’s turning over the coaching duties to fellow former NHL player Simon Gagne.
Seattle Thunderbirds goalie Thomas Milic, right, blocks the net as Peterborough Petes forward Connor Lockhart, center, tries for a rebound while Thunderbirds defenseman Sawyer Mynio looks on during the second period of a CHL Memorial Cup hockey semifinal Friday, June 2, 2023, in Kamloops, British Columbia. Credit: AP/Jeff McIntosh
Quebec beat Seattle 3-1 on Monday night in round-robin play.
