2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup: Shawinigan Cataractes move on from Saint John, focus on London while carrying city’s hopes

SHAWINIGAN, Que. — Dislike the MasterCard Memorial Cup format all you wish — but admire the way the Shawinigan Cataractes have made it work for them.

The Cataractes' new challenge is guarding against letting their 7-4 takedown of Saint John 7-4 in Friday's semifinal, in front of a Centre Bionest crowd of 4,763 that was so loud the players couldn't even hear coach Éric Veilleux speak during the third period, stand as their MasterCard Memorial Cup final. The past two tournaments have seen the host team win the semi but lose the final. Neither was as clear-eyed or fresh-legged as the Cats, who didn't even make their league semifinal will face the London Knights on Sunday evening.

Everyone knows how Veilleux put his team through a boot camp before the tournament. It was borne out Friday when the Cats, in a humid and foggy arena, failed to betray any sign of fatigue while scoring three late goals to win after the defending champion Sea Dogs had come back from being down 4-2. The other payoff from the layoff is that it gave 20-odd junior players enough time to ponder and then accept livin' the dream for all those who have sustained Quebec's longest-running major junior team.

First and foremost, it's about the fresh legs, though. Friday was quintessentially QMJHLian — momentum swings, a crowd that wouldn't know the meaning of the term "dull roar," some sloppiness and teams trading haymakers. The Cataractes' extra energy gave them enough to grab the line between speed and chaos. The way they finished suggests the London Knights will have to win on merit and good fortune on Sunday, not by being on the same schedule as Justin Verlander, working on four days' rest.

"We've spent a full month working out," said winger Pierre-Olivier Morin, whose line with Michaël Bournival and designated tipper Yannick Veilleux produced the game-winner with 6:46 left. "We just did a 3-in-3 and feel we still have a lot of energy. We're going to have a day off [Saturday] and we're going to come back for a big game on Sunday.

"I don't think we're going to have a problem with not being able come down from this win," added Morin, who grew up in nearby Trois-Rivières. "We went game-by-game the last three games and didn't focus too far ahead. I think actually maybe we have to celebrate tonight and then get ready for Sunday. We're still fresh, we still have a lot of legs."

The Cataractes have now sent the Sea Dogs and Edmonton Oil Kings home after losing to them in the round-robin play. All that's left for them is London, the team they beat earlier. That helps convey that everything resets to zero in this tournament. Even beating a team twice in league playoffs and Memorial Cup round-robin might not be enough to win the CHL. Ask the 1999 Belleville Bulls or 2010 Calgary Hitmen.

"It's a new game coming up," said Bournival, who had two points. "Saint John beat us on Wednesday and we beat them today. Edmonton beat us in the first game and we beat them [in Thursday's tiebreaker]. We need to be focused, bring what we did today for Sunday's game."

Living history

They'll have a chance to bring Shawinigan and the Mauricie region its first major junior hockey championship on Sunday after being written off six weeks ago when they lost to Chicoutimi. That segues into the need the players feel to do something for an underdog region.

"It's a great, great feeling to have a chance to do this for Shawinigan," said Bournival, the hometowner who is depicted in the tournament's promotional posters alongside the great Guy Lafleur. "When I was young, I was the little kid who would wait to talk to the players after the game and now I'm in the final for the Memorial Cup."

The Cataractes' history is really about how the area's business leaders, each level of government and people from each walk of life have worked to keep the club extant. Franchises relocate at a faster rate in the Q than the OHL and WHL. Yet its constant for 43 seasons is a team in a city of 50,000 which has faced economic trials and tribulations.

On some level, these Cataractes channeled some understanding this shot doesn't come too often for the city. That differs from Saint John, who was the defending champion. Or from Edmonton and London, who each have a good enough returning group to be in the 2013 Cup.

"The Cataractes have a big history," said Morin, who capped the win by snapping in a cherry-on-the-sundae goal with 10 seconds left after Michael Chaput had buried an empty-netter. "The Cup slipped from their hands a couple times. It was a good feeling tonight to win and know we're going to be in the final on Sunday.

"We have very good fans," Morin added. "They were always standing and cheering for us. It's amazing."

Before the QMJHL came into being, the '66 Shawinigan Bruins reached the semifinal of the Memorial Cup playdowns but ran into a blond-brushcutted buzzsaw named Bobby Orr with the Oshawa Generals. In 1970, the Bruins lost the first QMJHL final to Lafleur's Quebec Remparts, which must make The Flower's depiction on those posters pinned up throughout the town self-knowingly ironic.

The Cataractes hosted the 1985 Memorial Cup that was shifted to Drummondville for television purposes and lost the final to Prince Albert. The '09 team came up short in a seven-game league final against the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

Fans 'deserve' winner

Then this team which was supposed to be built for May got bounced in April by Chicoutimi and Los Angeles Kings goaltending prospect Chris Gibson. Media folk called for Éric Veilleux's head on a pike — and judging by what the Cats said in a hallway huddle before beating Edmonton, they've woven that into their us-against-the-world attitude.

"That month felt like forever," said defenceman Morgan Ellis, who took the shot that Yannick Veilleux tipped in for the winner. "Your fans are disappointed, It was disappointing for us and for sure them. They deserve this. It's been a long time coming for them. It's what they deserve, it's what we deserve."

Ellis, who had a better night than fellow Montreal Canadiens blueline prospect Nathan Beaulieu (minus-4), added the players understood why people wanted to see Éric Veilleux fired.

"Speculation like that always happens when teams get put out early," Ellis said. "He's been an unreal coach. He's given me an unreal chance. We knew that month to get ready was going to be tough. We knew what was at stake, knew it wasn't going to be easy, but it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

The angst from the second-round exit didn't expire immediately. Once Edmonton, London and Saint John rolled in, there were fewer doubters.

"As soon as the Memorial Cup came around, they were right behind us," said centre Michael Chaput, whose two goals Friday gave him five in the tournament.

The crowd was so into it that it stood and applauded throughout an entire TV timeout. Sea Dogs coach Gerard Gallant declined to use the crowd din as an excuse for the loss, not wanting to take any credit away from the Cataractes for outplaying his team.

Shawinigan had control from the first period on, earning their puck luck. Two of their first three goals had to be confirmed on video review and a Brandon Gormley tally came after referees missed Saint John's Stanislav Galiev taking an obvious high stick in the face. Saint John also caught a huge break when Jonathan Huberdeau scored late in the a second period on a shot from his own blueline that skipped past Cats goalie Gabriel Girard, who later bounced back with game-saving stops in the third.

The Cataractes, though, deserved it. Now it's on to a uniquely Canadian matchup, small-town Quebec vs. Southern Ontario. That's how it will be perceived even if Shawinigan has Prince Edward Islanders in Ellis and Gormley helming their back end and the Russians, Kirill Kabanov and Anton Zlobin, bolstering their scoring lines. The fact London's leaders include the American trio of captain Jarred Tinordi, shot-blocking centre Austin Watson and goalie Michael Houser probably furnishes further motivation.

They get one shot at this and believe they're ready.

"We skated a lot to prepare us for any situation," Bournival said. "We knew the Memorial Cup would not be easy."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.