Rangers Top Saguenéens, Earn Record 7th Memorial Cup Final
Published on May 27, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL) News Release
TORONTO, ON - The OHL champion Kitchener Rangers secured their spot in the championship game of the 2026 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota after a 3-2 win over the QMJHL champion Chicoutimi Saguenéens on Tuesday night in Kelowna, B.C.
New York Islanders prospect Luca Romano, Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Sam O'Reilly, and Chicago Blackhawks prospect Jack Pridham scored for the Rangers, while San Jose Sharks prospect Christian Kirsch turned aside 26 shots. Pridham now leads the 2026 Memorial Cup with four goals and six points, while Kirsch continues to pace all goaltenders with a tournament-best 1.33 goals-against average and .957 save percentage.
For Chicoutimi, Émile Ricard and Mavrick Lachance found the back of the net, while Ottawa Senators prospect Lucas Beckman made 16 saves.
With the victory, Kitchener improved to 3-0 and punched its ticket directly to Sunday's championship game. The Rangers will play in the Memorial Cup final for a CHL-record seventh time since the tournament adopted its round-robin format in 1972, moving past the Peterborough Petes for sole possession of the modern-era lead. Kitchener has now reached the championship game in all seven of its Memorial Cup appearances, having won titles in 1982 and 2003 while also advancing to the final in 1981, 1984, 1990 and 2008.
"It's special," said Dylan Edwards. "Talking to some of the older guys, what a treat this is for our last game in this league to be playing for a Memorial Cup. It's pretty special. We want to go home with it, and it's a pretty incredible experience and opportunity for us as a group."
After a scoreless first period, the Rangers broke through early in the second. Off a Chicoutimi turnover, Romano kept the puck on an odd-man rush and beat Beckman high blocker-side at 1:38. Kitchener doubled its lead 2:19 later through O'Reilly's second goal of the tournament, as he buried a rebound after Pridham had initially been stopped.
"I've been extremely fortunate to be on the teams I've been on," O'Reilly said. "The teammates I've played with and the coaches I've had, I'm extremely lucky, and it's something I don't take for granted."
O'Reilly's latest trip to the Memorial Cup final comes alongside teammate Jared Woolley, with the pair set to play in the championship game for a third straight year after arriving in Kitchener from the London Knights in January. Together, O'Reilly and Woolley won the Memorial Cup with London last season and have captured three consecutive OHL championships - with the Knights in 2024 and 2025, and with the Rangers in 2026.
The Saguenéens got on the board at 8:38 of the second as Ricard scored his first of the tournament, finishing off a slick passing play from Christophe Berthelot and Nathan Lecompte.
But Pridham restored Kitchener's two-goal lead just 21 seconds into the third period, as his seeing-eye shot from the blue line found its way through for his fourth goal of the tournament.
Lachance cut the deficit to 3-2 with 3:54 remaining in regulation, burying Emmanuel Vermette's backdoor feed, but the Saguenéens were unable to generate enough late pressure to force overtime. Chicoutimi concludes the round robin with a 1-2-0 record.
"It wasn't pretty tonight, but we got the job done," said Kitchener head coach Jussi Ahokas.
The round robin concludes tonight at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET when the WHL champion Everett Silvertips face the host Kelowna Rockets. Everett enters the matchup at 1-1, while Kelowna sits at 0-2 and needs a win to keep its tournament alive.
A win by Everett would send the Silvertips to Friday's semi-final as the home team against Chicoutimi. If Everett loses by one goal, the Silvertips would still be the home team in the semi-final, while Chicoutimi and Kelowna would meet in Thursday's tie-breaker. If Everett loses by two or more goals, Kelowna would advance to the semi-final, while Everett and Chicoutimi would play in the tie-breaker.
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 5-0 Kelowna
May 23 - Game 2: Everett 5-3 Chicoutimi
May 24 - Game 3: Kelowna 2-3 Chicoutimi (OT)
May 25 - Game 4: Everett 2-6 Kitchener
May 26 - Game 5: Chicoutimi 2-3 Kitchener
May 27 - Game 6: Kelowna vs. Everett - 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT
May 28 - Tie-breaker, if necessary - 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT
May 29 - Semi-final - 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT
May 31 - Final - 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT
Ontario Hockey League Stories from May 27, 2026
- Rangers Top Saguenéens, Earn Record 7th Memorial Cup Final - OHL
- Rangers Advance to Memorial Cup Final After Win over Sagueneens - Kitchener Rangers
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