Remparts’ blue-line provides big boost against Rockets
BILL BEACON QUEBEC — Defencemen Nikolas Brouillard, Matt Murphy and Ryan Graves scored as the host Quebec Remparts opened the MasterCard Memorial Cup with a 4-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets on Friday night.
Adam Erne sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 18:56 of the third period. Nick Merkley, Gage Quinney and Leon Draisaitl scored for Kelowna, the WHL champions.
A crowd of 9,497 at the 15,000-seat Pepsi Colisee saw the Remparts win with a high-paced transition game and strong goaltending from Zach Fucale. Quebec outshot Kelowna 31-29.
The Remparts got the first goal when Brouillard took a pass from Vladimir Tkachev and drilled a shot to the top corner at 5:18.
Some dogged work in the corner by Tkachev set up the Remparts’ second goal as Murphy’s point shot dribbled through after goalie Jackson Whistle was bumped while Anthony Duclair and Lucas Johansen were battling in front of the net at 13:22 of the second.
The Rockets took advantage of lax play by the home side’s power play as Cole Linaker won a race for the puck in the Quebec end and set up Merkley alone at the far side for a shot that Fucale only got a piece of.
Quebec answered with a short-handed goal of its own 2:08 into the second. Whistle stopped Duclair on a breakaway, but the net was open for Graves on the rebound.
Josh Morrissey’s seeingeye point shot on a power play was tipped in by Quinney at 12:43.
After Erne’s empty-netter, the Rockets got a two-man advantage and Draisaitl banged one in with 36 seconds left to play, but couldn’t get the equalizer.
The Oshawa Generals and Rimouski Oceanic see their first action Saturday afternoon. The Remparts are back in action Sunday against Oshawa while the Rockets play Rimouski Monday.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Hockey League announced for this tournament the video goal judge can disallow a goal in cases where the play was offside but wasn’t called by the linesmen. Kelowna Rockets goalie Jackson Whistle tries to smother a shot during Memorial Cup action in Quebec City Friday night. The hometown Remparts defeated the Rockets 4-3.