Memorial Cup final: Generals get it done thanks to unsung heroes

QUEBEC CITY — It wasn’t too long ago that Anthony Cirelli was playing AA hockey in the Greater Toronto Hockey League. He moved to AAA for his minor midget year and spent last season playing major midget.

On Sunday night, the 17-year-old walk-on scored the game winner in overtime to hand the Oshawa Generals their first Memorial Cup title in 25 years.

“Words can’t describe what I’m feeling right now,” said Cirelli, on the ice after the Generals defeated the Western Hockey League-champion Kelowna Rockets 2-1. “I’m just really proud of the team. We worked all year round for this and this was our goal.

“I’m in shock. We just won the Memorial Cup.”

Cirelli scored both goals for the Ontario Hockey League champions, including the decider a mere 1:28 into the first overtime period. Kelowna goalie Jackson Whistle stopped overager Chris Carlisle’s initial shot, but the rebound came out to Cirelli who shook off a Rockets defender to whack the puck into the net. It was a remarkable finish for an undrafted, unheralded player who persevered despite not having the same kind of pedigree as many of his Generals teammates.

“I just worked hard and made my way onto the team,” said the native of Woodbridge, Ont. “This has been a dream of mine and now that dream came true.”

In the end, his performance - which included a second-period goal off a perfectly-placed wrist shot over Whistle's catching glove - even left his veteran teammates in awe.

“He put the team on his back and carried us,” said Calgary Flames prospect Hunter Smith. “For a 17-year-old to do that, that’s just promise. He was a free agent at the start of the year – what an unbelievable end to his story here.

“I’ve never seen anyone work harder on the ice. I’m a 19-year-old in this league and I was looking up to him tonight with his performance.”

That’s high praise from Smith, who stands a towering 6-foot-6.

Kelowna star Leon Draisaitl was named the tournament MVP, the first player from the losing side to win the trophy since 2002, when Victoriaville’s Danny Groulx won the award after losing in the final to Kootenay. The 19-year-old German and Edmonton Oilers prospect was held pointless in two games against the Generals, but led the tournament with four goals and three assists in five games.

There were many that felt that Oshawa goaltender Ken Appleby, who was spectacular all tournament, made a better case for the MVP honour with his 2.08 goals against average and .915 save percentage. Appleby was passed over at the 2014 NHL draft but attended camps with the Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks.

“I think we had a feeling we were going to win no matter what,” said Appleby, a North Bay, Ont., native who is expected to attract attention from several NHL clubs this summer. “We haven’t accepted defeat all year. Fortunately, we just told each other, ‘One shot and that’s the game’ and that’s what happened.

“If there are people who doubted me, I just hope I changed their mind.”

That’s not unexpected for the Generals, who have used such slights as motivation of the course of the year.

How many teams had world junior players here? We had guys who got cut,” said Smith. “They used it as motivation just to prove they belonged… Ken was our backstop when we needed him and that’s why we won.”

It was the last hockey game to be played at the historic Colisee in Quebec City. The 15,176-seat building was originally built in 1949 and will be demolished soon as the 18,482-seat Videotron Centre will open right next to it in the fall.

Bringing a national championship back to Oshawa has been a quarter of a century in the making. The 1990 Generals were led by star Eric Lindros - like Cirelli, a 17-year-old - as they beat the Kitchener Rangers 4-3 in double overtime in Hamilton. It’s the fifth time the Generals have won the Canadian Hockey League title.

Many in the Generals core group have been together for three or four years, though the acquisitions of forward Mike McCarron and defenceman Dakota Mermis at the trade deadline provided Oshawa with depth that was displayed throughout the OHL playoffs, highlighted by a five-game victory over Connor McDavid and the Erie Otters in the league final.

The Generals finished the regular season with a 51-11-2-4 record and top place in the Eastern Conference. They lost a total of five games during their playoff run to the OHL title and finished the Memorial Cup with a perfect 4-0 record.

“These players gave me everything they had,” said Generals head coach D.J. Smith. “Sometimes the bounces go your way when there’s that much character and that much stuff that these guys sacrificed over three years. We probably got a bounce and we’ll take it.”

The Generals will be honoured at a parade Tuesday in Oshawa, beginning at City Hall and ending at the GM Centre. The Colisee was packed with fans who had made the trip from Oshawa to cheer on their Gennies.

Long after the trophies had been handed out, Appleby was standing doing interviews with the media when the crowd of raucous supporters still in the stands started chanting his name in unison.

“It’s great,” he said. “It’s unbelievable … it’s crazy.

“It’s awesome.”