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Rockets off to Memorial Cup final with rout of exhausted Remparts

Kelowna Rockets Chance Braid (22) is congratulated by his teammates Lucas Johansen (7), Cole Linaker (26), Dillon Dube (19) and Joe Gatenby (28) after he scored a goal against the Quebec Remparts during the first period of their semi-final Memorial Cup hockey game at the Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City, May 29, 2015. REUTERS/Mathieu Belanger (REUTERS)

QUEBEC CITY — The Kelowna Rockets are one step closer to the Memorial Cup. And two of their players – Madison Bowey and Josh Morrissey – are closer to joining an elite group of hockey players.

The Rockets advanced to the Memorial Cup final thanks to a 9-3 drubbing of the host Quebec Remparts. They’ll face the OHL champion Oshawa Generals in a showdown for the Canadian Hockey League championship on Sunday.

“We’re probably considered the underdogs going into this game on Sunday,” said Bowey. “So we’ll take that approach and I think it’ll be a great matchup. I know it’ll be two highly touted teams and two teams battling for a Memorial Cup, so it’ll be a great game.

A Kelowna victory on Sunday would give both Bowey and Morrissey a Memorial Cup, a gold medal at the world junior championship and a league (WHL) title in the same season. The last player to achieve the feat was Anaheim Ducks defenceman Cam Fowler in 2010 with the Windsor Spitfires and Team USA.

“It would be very special,” said Bowey, of winning the trifecta. “I know what we’ve been able to do with this group this year has been tremendous. I think to finish it off with a Memorial Cup would be huge. That’s our goal and that was our goal coming into the season and we’re sticking to that.

“It’s going to be tough but we’re ready for the challenge for sure.”

The Rockets dispatched the Remparts with ease, considering it was the third game in three nights for the hometown team. In the second period Kelowna scored all of the goals – four – and Quebec took most of the penalties, which included Yanick Turcotte being ejected for taking his second fighting major in the game.

It didn’t help that the two QMJHL referees - Olivier Gouin and Jonathan Alarie – who Remparts coach Philippe Boucher had criticized publically after the final game of the round-robin against Rimouski, were both working the game. Boucher was fined $10,000 for his comments about the officiating, particularly Gouin, whose work in both the league final and this tournament prompted Boucher to request his removal from the tournament.

So, the partisan crowd of 9,870 at Le Colisee didn’t need much encouragement to turn on the referees. In the second period with Kelowna up 4-1, a non-call on Bowey for sending Quebec’s Jerome Verrier crashing into the end boards had fans fuming.

“I’m just going to play my game,” said Bowey of the play. “It’s up to the refs and luckily he didn’t (make the call). I guess the fans didn’t like it too much.”

REFILE - CORRECTING DATEWorkers clean the ice after fans threw garbage during the second period of the semi-final Memorial Cup hockey game between the Quebec Remparts and the Kelowna Rockets at the Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City, May 29, 2015. REUTERS/Mathieu Belanger
REFILE - CORRECTING DATEWorkers clean the ice after fans threw garbage during the second period of the semi-final Memorial Cup hockey game between the Quebec Remparts and the Kelowna Rockets at the Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City, May 29, 2015. REUTERS/Mathieu Belanger

That’s an understatement.

The fans expressed their unhappiness by pelting the ice with debris: beer cans, water bottles, popcorn, noisemakers, posters, programs, as the game had to be stopped for the ice to be cleaned.

“I definitely ducked a little bit,” said Justin Kirkland, who scored twice and added two assists. “That was something else - I’ve never seen that before.”

Even after the fans were given a warning by the PA announcer, a bag of popcorn came hurtling down on the ice.

“I did notice a nail on the ice,” added Bowey of the trash. “I don’t know if it was meant to be thrown. Who knows.

“It just goes to show how passionate their fans are… these fans love to see their team win and you really feel the support that they have when you’re playing against them. For us to regroup and refocus after that it was a great job on our part.”

It was the third game in three nights for the Remparts, who were forced to play in the tiebreaker after a loss to the Oceanic.

“It’s hard,” said Morrissey. “Playing three games in three days at this level it’s extremely hard on the body, so I’m sure they were tired mentally and physically.”

The loss was particularly tough on Anthony Duclair who was inconsolable when he came out of the dressing room to meet the media. Many of the Remparts wept openly at the end of the season – and for many – the end of their time with the Remparts.

Goalie Zach Fucale, who won a Memorial Cup in 2013 with Halifax, was in net for all nine goals in what was likely his last junior game. Boucher said it was the world junior netminder’s decision to stay in the game and try to battle for a more favourable outcome.

"It's not easy but forget the score,” said Fucale who won gold with Duclair, Bowey and Morrissey on Team Canada. “Kelowna won and they're going to the final and that's all.”

In the round robin, the Generals beat the Rockets in a tight 2-1 game. Having such a high scoring game heading into the final against a team as defensively stingy as the Generals can only help Kelowna’s cause.

The added motivation of winning yet another championship in a season full of success for Bowey and Morrissey can’t hurt either.

“What an opportunity,” said Morrissey, of the final. “It’s the biggest stage for us in junior and for some of us guys (it’s) our last kick at the can here. There would be no better way than to finish it off like that.”