Kitchener Rangers win Memorial Cup over Everett, 3rd in franchise history

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The Kitchener Rangers are 2026 Memorial Cup champions.

In the conclusion to the 106th Memorial Cup, the Rangers beat the Everett Silvertips 6-2 at Prospera Place in Kelowna on Sunday, May 31.

The win is Kitchener’s first Memorial Cup victory since 2003 and third in franchise history.

“[It’s] unbelievable,” said Kitchener head coach Jussi Ahokas. “Three years of hard work, it comes comes the end, how the boys played and how we got the job done… a little relief that we could do it together.”

For former West Kelowna Warrior Jack Pridham, who left the BCHL to join Kitchener in November 2024, winning the Memorial Cup in Kelowna is a bit of a full circle moment.

“Last year I came here, I loved it. I loved my teammates, my coaching staff,” said Pridham. “It was unfortunate what happened to us last year in the playoffs. To have the opportunity again was something I wanted to do and come back and have a try at this and they always did it. I couldn’t be happier, we got a great group of guys and a great coaching staff.”

“It’s definitely an unbelievable feeling,” Pridham added. “It’s so special, you know, my family’s here, they’re all down, so it’s great to be able to celebrate with them and my billets.”

Pridham wasn’t named tournament MVP, but played like one throughout Kitchener’s four games as he led the Memorial Cup in goals (5) and points (9).

“He played unreal, unbelievable,” said Ahokas of Pridham. “He was shooting, defending, played a 200-foot game, and he scored also big goals for us, I’m really happy for him.”

Rangers players Jared Woolley and Sam O’Reilly are in rare company after playing in their third consecutive Memorial Cup and winning their second straight.

“It’s pretty hard to put into words, it feels amazing, [it’s] pretty hard to beat,” said O’Reilly, who was also named Memorial Cup MVP. “I think being here last year and the year before helped a lot, and I just kind of made us more comfortable with the situations that we were in.”

In the championship game, O’Reilly had a four-point night. Leading 3-1 after two periods, Kitchener put the game away early in the third when the started the period with a 5-on-3 powerplay opportunity. Just 26 seconds into the final frame, Pridham scored his fifth of the tournament, assisted by O’Reilly and Cameron Reid.

Thirty-seven seconds later, the trio combined to make it 5-1, with O’Reilly scoring from Pridham and Reid.

“We wanted to bury them… came out strong with two goals in I think the first minute,” said Pridham. “We did our job well and then just played the rest of the third hard.”

Pridham had a three-point game while O’Reilly collected four points, including an assist on Christian Humphreys empty-net goal to seal the game 6-2 with under two minutes to go.

Ahokas praised both O’Reilly and Woolley after the game.

“They’re winners,” said Ahokas about O’Reilly and Woolley. “Sammy especially, I can’t say enough about him. He’ll play NHL next year, unbelievable player to coach.”

After making it a 5-1 game, the Rangers shut the Silvertips down the rest of the game, only allowing Carter Bear to score his fourth of the tournament from Julius Miettinen and Landon DuPont.

“We’re focused on getting a job done, we were pretty surgical,” said Ahokas. “As you get that 5-1 lead and they’ve got that one, but I think the third period we played really good defensively. We didn’t give them up, give them much, the players did an unbelievable job.”

On top of Kitchener putting the game away with the two powerplay goals in 37 seconds to start the third period, the turning point of the game might’ve occurred early in the second.

Kitchener was leading 2-1 after the first 20 minutes. Just 62 seconds into the middle frame, Everett’s Zackary Shantz appeared to score and tie the game. However, upon review, the goal was called back as Shantz punched the puck in with his hand.

Later in the period, Woolley, a Los Angeles Kings prospect sniped home a goal to make it 3-1.

In the final minute of the middle frame, Silvertips’ Kayd Ruedig and Shantz took penalties within a minute of each other, leading to Kitchener’s 5-on-3 to start the third period.

Coming down the stretch to finish the game, O’Reilly added his and Woolley’s experience from playing in the Memorial Cup final the last two years helped “a lot.”

“I think being here last year and the year before helped a lot, and just kind of made more comfortable with the situations that we were in… just grateful for the team that we had and the games that we played.”

In the post-game celebration, the Rangers pulled a move usually seen in football as they poured the team’s yellow Gatorade on Ahokas.

“I have to get a new suit now, but it’s a great, the greatest feeling,” said Ahokas. “Hey, when you win, it’s all good.”

The after game, the Memorial Cup all-star tournament team was named and was made up of Rangers Pridham, O’Reilly, Reid, and goaltender Christian Kirsch, who stopped 120 of 126 stops faced in the tournament. Everett’s DuPont and Matias Vanhanen were also named to the team.

In the game, DuPont collected two assists for Everett. He finished the Memorial Cup with six points, the most ever by an exceptional status player in Memorial Cup history. He turned 17 years old during the tournament.

For the Western Hockey League, the curse continues as the last team from the league to win the Memorial Cup was the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2014.

After the game, Canadian Hockey League President Dan MacKenzie spoke before handing the cup to the Rangers. He thanked the Kelowna Rockets and team president and general manager and the City of Kelowna “for making this a truly extraordinary Memorial Cup.” He also thanked all the hockey fans who sold out Prospera Place each game.