2025 Memorial Cup Preview - Oceanic vs. Wildcats - May 28
May 28, 2025 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Moncton Wildcats News Release
No two teams know each other better than the Rimouski Oceanic and Moncton Wildcats.
So perhaps it's incredibly fitting that they meet in the final game of the round-robin of the 2025 Memorial Cup tonight where the winner will advance to Friday's semi-final.
"We won in six but maybe it's Game 7 of the Q Finals now because winner stays, loser goes home," Moncton's Julius Sumpf said. "It's a Game 7. We know each other pretty well, it's going to be a tight game but I think we're ready for it."
The two teams squared off for the Gilles-Courteau Trophy that the Wildcats won in six games as they secured a third QMJHL title. But after they built a 3-0 series lead, the Oceanic fought back in Game's 4 and 5 before Moncton took Game 6 at the Colisée Financière Sun Life.
"We're really positive," said Rimouski's Luke Coughlin (FLA). "We're really in a good space mentally. Just excitement within the whole group having a chance to play one game, do or die, to go in the semis. We're all excited."
Both teams enter tonight's contest 0-2 having suffered (essentially) one-goal defeats. Rimouski dropped a 5-4 decision on opening night against Medicine Hat while they fell 3-1 - with an empty-netter - to London on Sunday.
Moncton lost 3-2 in overtime to London in their first game while they suffered a 3-1 loss - with an empty-netter - to Medicine Hat Monday.
"I think a couple of bounces maybe go our way and we could be 2-0 right now," Coughlin said. "The games have been really close which is good ... all the teams are tight and we're looking forward to this last game in the round robin.
"It's kind of like a quarter-final game to get to the semis so the whole group's excited."
In what has truly been a tightly-contested Memorial Cup thus far - it's the third lowest scoring tournament in history with a 5.20 goal-per-game average - both teams know they need more scoring. The Oceanic have five goals while the Wildcats have found the back of the net just three times and have yet to see a forward light the lamp.
"Sometimes there's just multiple games where it's not going your way and that's hockey," said Sumpf who has 36 total goals this year. "Our goalie has been spectacular so far and keeps us in the game so we always have a chance to be close to winning the game.
"But at some point, we have to score more goals and I think today we have a good chance at finally breaking through [but] ... we need to shoot the puck. We're passing it a little too much now and being a bit too cute. We know we can score ... if one goes in, I think we can score a lot more."
In all, it sets up an incredible opportunity for one of two QMJHL clubs to extend it season.
"We know their strengths, their weaknesses, so it's an advantage," Coughlin said. "It's also an advantage for them. They know us well but two teams are going to go to war tonight and the better team's going to come out on top."
The winner will face London in the 2025 Memorial Cup semi-final at 7pm ET.
Scheduled from May 22 - June 1 in Rimouski, Québec, every game of the 2025 Memorial Cup will air on TSN and RDS in Canada and be available via live stream on TSN.ca, the TSN app, RDS.ca, and the RDS app. In addition to full coverage in Canada on TSN and RDS, the 2025 Memorial Cup will be available to stream live for free on Victory+ for viewers outside of Canada.
2025 Memorial Cup schedule:
May 23 - Game 1: Medicine Hat 5-4 Rimouski
May 24 - Game 2: Moncton 2-3 London (OT)
May 25 - Game 3: Rimouski 1-3 London
May 26 - Game 4: Moncton 1-3 Medicine Hat
May 27 - Game 5: London 1-3 Medicine Hat
May 28 - Game 6: Rimouski vs. Moncton - 7:00pm ET
May 30 - Semi-final - 7:00pm ET
June 1 - Final - 7:00pm ET
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from May 28, 2025
- Wildcats Advance to Memorial Cup Semi-Final - Moncton Wildcats
- 2025 Memorial Cup Preview - Oceanic vs. Wildcats - May 28 - Moncton Wildcats
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