Image Credit: Candice Ward/CHL

By Adam Donnelly

2023 MEMORIAL CUP

High-flying Remparts beat Blazers 8-3 in Memorial Cup opener

May 26, 2023 | 10:29 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops Blazers showed they could hang with the QMJHL Champs at times. However, the Remparts proved they were too much for the hosts, as the Blazers fell to Quebec 8-3 to open the 2023 Memorial Cup.

Quebec opened the scoring at 7:36 of the opening frame, as James Malatesta scored his first of three goals in the affair on a feed from Justin Robidas.

Caedan Bankier scored the equalizer for Kamloops on a man-advantage at 16:40 of the first period, with assists going to Logan Stankoven and Daylan Keufler.

However, the Remparts scored three times in 4:47 in the second period to take control of the game.

Malatesta tipped in an Evan Nause point shot to make it 2-1 just 1:05 seconds into the period before Nathan Gaucher hammered a one-timer past Dylan Ernst 2:02 later. Theo Rochette knocked home a rebound on the power play at 5:42 before Kassim Gaudet’s first of the night stretched the lead to 5-1.

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Keufler scored the Blazers’ second goal 51 seconds after Quebeck made it 5-1, and Kamloops would get a second power-play goal early in the third period on a high tip by Matthew Seminoff to make it 5-3.

The Remparts effectively shut down any hope of a Kamloops comeback with three more goals to end the game: Gaudet’s second of the night at 9:19, Carson Bolduc’s first of the tournament at 11:33, and Malatesta’s hat-trick goal at 15:32 of the third period.

Ernst stopped 25 of the 33 shots he faced in the Kamloops goal, while William Rousseau made 27 saves on 30 shots to earn the win for Quebec.

Next up for the Remparts is a date with the WHL Champions, the Seattle Thunderbirds on Monday, May 29th. The Blazers are back in action on Sunday, May 28th as they take on the Peterborough Petes.