2026 Memorial Cup Point System and Overtime Rules
OHL Kitchener Rangers

2026 Memorial Cup Point System and Overtime Rules

Published on May 21, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Kitchener Rangers News Release


Ahead of the start of the 2026 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota in Kelowna, B.C., it's worth a quick reminder of the tournament's point system and overtime rules.

Two points are awarded to the winning team in each round-robin game of the Memorial Cup, regardless of whether the team wins in regulation time or overtime, while the losing team will not receive a point in regulation or overtime.

Overtime in the round-robin will continue to be played in a 3-on-3 format in 20-minute periods until a winner is decided. The intermissions between the third period and overtime and each additional overtime period are 15 minutes. There are no TV timeouts during overtime although a quick scrape in front of the nets and benches will be done at the first stoppage after the 10-minute mark should the overtime continue.

It is worth noting that these overtime rules differentiate slightly for the tie-breaker, semi-final and championship games of the Memorial Cup where overtime is played in a 5-on-5 format in 20-minute periods until a winner is decided.

Additionally, the following formula will be used to decide final standings:

If two teams tie for the final playoff position, at the conclusion of the single round robin series of games, a sudden death game between the two tied teams shall be played with the winner to advance to the semi-final game. The home team, in the sudden-death game, shall be the team that won the round robin game between the two teams.

In the event three teams should tie for the final playoff place position at the conclusion of the single round robin series of games, the game each team played against the first-place team shall be removed from their records. The tie breaking formula shall be as follows: Add each team's goals for with their goals against which sum you divide into such team's goals for. The team with the highest percentage gains the higher position in the standings and an automatic berth as home team in the semi-final game. The remaining two teams shall play a sudden-death game with the winner to advance to the semi-final game. The home team in the suddendeath game will be the team that won the round robin game between the two teams.

In the event following this mathematical exercise all three teams should remain tied, the game each team played against the first place team shall be added to their records. The same formula from 2 (i) will be applied to finalize the rankings of the three teams. In the event that two teams still remain tied after 2 (ii), the round robin game between the two teams will determine their order of position.

In the event that two teams shall be tied for a playoff position, other than the final playoff spot, the game between the two teams in the round robin shall determine the higher ranked team. In the event three teams should be tied for first place at the conclusion of the single round robin series of games, the game each team played against the fourth place team shall be removed from their records. The tie breaking formula shall be as follows: Add each team's goals for with their goals against which sum you divide into such team's goals for. The team with the highest percentage gains the higher ranking in the standings and an automatic berth as the home team in the Memorial Cup Championship game. The remaining two teams shall play in the semi-final game. The home team in the semi-final game will be the team that won the round robin game between the two teams.

In the event following this mathematical exercise, all three teams remain tied for first place, the game that each team played against the fourth placed team shall be added to their records. The same formula from 3 will be applied to finalize the rankings of the three teams. In the event that two teams still remain tied after 3 above, the round robin game between the two teams will determine their order of position.

The 2026 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota is scheduled for May 21-31 in Kelowna, B.C. Every game of the 2026 Memorial Cup will air in Canada on TSN and RDS, with live streaming available on TSN.ca, the TSN app, RDS.ca, and the RDS app. In the United States, fans can watch every game on NHL Network, while viewers outside Canada can stream the tournament live on Victory+.

2026 Memorial Cup schedule:

May 22 - Game 1: Kitchener vs. Kelowna - 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT

May 23 - Game 2: Everett vs. Chicoutimi - 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT

May 24 - Game 3: Kelowna vs. Chicoutimi - 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT

May 25 - Game 4: Everett vs. Kitchener - 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT

May 26 - Game 5: Chicoutimi vs. Kitchener - 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT

May 27 - Game 6: Kelowna vs. Everett - 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT

May 28 - Tie-breaker (if necessary) - 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT

May 29 - Semi-final - 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT

May 31 - Final - 7:00pm ET / 4:00pm PT

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