Mem Cup Final: Windsor @ Kelowna

[dagley]

Rockets will...GET ER DONE!

[Rockets1231]

The Rockets should win, I mean the Spits barely beat them when they were facing elimination and the Rockets were basically sleeping. Not to mention Windsor is playing 4 games in 5 nights and Kelowna is well rested.

[LifelongChiefsFan]

Less than 15 hours until puck drop. As long as Kelowna plays their game and controls the flow they should win. Guggenberger does have the tendency to let in a few softies here and there, but he seems to shut the door in big games. Engelage has looked very mediocre for Windsor so far in the tournament, and I don't think the Rockets will have a problem finding some chinks in his armor.

Good luck in the final Kelowna! Make it 3 in a row for the Dub!

[rebel]

go kick some butt kelowna win it for the DUB applause

[negli99]

Go Rockets Go

[Rockets1231]

Hate to pin this on one guy, but Guggenberger is the reason we lost this game. he was a big reason we were here in the first place, but he needed to actually make a save to have any shot of winning. 3 goals on 3 shots, not to mention all stoppable pucks is unacceptable. The defense was just as bad, as were the forwards. Only player on the entire team that actually looked like he wanted to win was Brown. He was great, looking forward to him being the starter next year. He almost gave Kelowna a shot in a game they never should have been in. Talk about karma, proof why you should ALWAYS finish off a team when you have the chance. Layoff was way too long for Kelowna though that shouldn't have been a factor, it was the biggest game of the year and they choked period. Format maybe should be looked at, maybe get rid of the tiebreaker or the day off between the semis and finals, probably the tiebreak. Really no reason to have it, whoever won the game between the 2 teams should move on. Fans were terrible I thought, booing Kelowna everytime they touched the puck is classless, I would have felt the same way if they had booed Windsor there's no need for that in the finals. If you want to cheer for a team go for it, but don't boo the other. But I guess it's expected from Quebec, they boo anything and everything.

[hitmanfan]

Blame away on Guggenberger, but you don't win many games by scoring 1 goal.

[Brandonite]

Blame away on Guggenberger, but you don't win many goals by scoring 1 goal.

No kidding!! No one in this world feels worse than Guggenberger right now and he did have his worse game of the year at the worst time of the year but still, Kelowna would never have even got to where they were if it werent for him. Like seriously, before the playoffs really began who the hell was Mike Guggenberger?? He turned heads the same way Dustin Tokarski did last season. Its unfortunate but the whole team struggled

[LifelongChiefsFan]

Disappointing, not only because I was hoping Kelowna would win, but also because the game was over just 7 minutes in. Although a 3 goal deficit is not insurmountable by any means, you just had a feeling that Kelowna wasn't going to come back. Guggenberger had a bad game no doubt, it's a shame that may be his last junior game. But in all honesty, the entire Rockets team was pretty terrible tonight. This was easily their worst game of the tournament, maybe even their worst game in the last 2 months. Windsor's first two goals were scored off horrendous turnovers. Yeah Guggenberger probably should have stopped those 2 (and definitely the third goal) but Windsor never should have even had the chance to score their first 2 goals.

Still, gotta give Kelowna credit on a wonderful season. They knocked out Tri-City, Vancouver and Calgary in consecutive series, with one of the best WHL playoff runs in recent memory. They were fun to watch and although this loss does sting, they are still a team of champions.

Congrats to Windsor for winning the Memorial Cup. They never gave up, and won 4 elimination games in a row. That's impressive, even for a team as good as the Spitfires.

[dagley]

What a great season for Kelowna, just coming up short of lifting the holy grail of junior hockey. This organization is so successful, it's an amazing program they have going in Kelowna from the scouts, coaching staff and players and everything else. Best wishes to the graduating players and the players that go pro. I loved cheering for Kelowna during the Memorial Cup, and can't wait to see your team out East next season.

See you guys at the 2010 Memorial Cup in Brandon, can't wait to finally experience it!

[Toe Drag]

Congratulations to the whole Kelowna Rockets organization. What a spectacular year you had. You have no reason to bow your heads. What your program acheived this year will long be remembered...stand up , and take a long bow.

[Malc]

By Kevin Parnell - Kelowna Capital News

Three goals on three shots and the 2009 Memorial Cup was over for Kelowna Rockets goalie Mark Guggenberger seven minutes into the championship game against Windsor.

Fifty-three minutes later it was over for the rest of the Rockets as they fell 4-1 to the Ontario champion Windsor Spitfires, who after starting the tournament 0-2, ripped off four straight wins to claim the Memorial Cup.

“It was one of those nights we had a hard time generating anything,” said Rockets head coach Ryan Huska. “I thought Windsor played a very good game. Our guys should be very proud of the season they had. I thought they worked very hard throughout the year and they continued to battle to get themselves to this position. It’s a tough position to be in right now.”

Things went wrong in a hurry for the Rockets on Sunday. Three minutes into the first period Calgary Flames prospect Mikael Backlund was soft on a clearing attempt in his own zone and had the puck stolen off his stick. That led to a goal by Adam Henrique on the first shot of the game.

A minute and a half later Dale Mitchell beat Guggenberger on the second shot, a hard wrister from the right circle that beat the goalie high on the short side. A floater from the blueline by the Spitfires Rob Kwiet that got through Guggenberger made it 3-0 just 7:11 into the championship game.

Guggenberger was replaced by Adam Brown and the Rockets never recovered. Huska failed to pin the loss on his netminder.

“We win as a team and we lose as a team and that is always the way it has been in Kelowna,” he said.

Despite being down the Rockets began to control parts of the play as the first period moved on.

Colin Long gave Kelowna life early in the second period when the Rockets moved the puck into the Windsor zone off the period face-off and the Rockets captain was able to rip home the rebound of a Jamie Benn shot.

“We pushed back and it felt like we were going to take over,” said Long. “Then they got that fourth one and that seemed to take the life out of us. It’s tough, these tournaments are tough because it’s just one game and you’re out. I’m proud of being a part of this group. It’s the best group I’ve ever played with and the tightest group and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

The best player on the ice for the Rockets might have been Brown, the rookie 17-year-old goaltender who hadn’t seen game action since mid-March but was thrown into the Memorial Cup final when Guggenberger was yanked.

The first shot he faced was a breakaway by Mitchell, looking for his sixth goal of the tournament. Brown turned him aside to keep the score 3-0. Minutes later he made big stops on tournament MVP Taylor Hall from the slot and a nice toe save on Mitchell.

But Brown couldn’t stop a Ryan Ellis laser beam from the point midway through the second period that gave the Spitfires a 4-1 lead and the writing was on the wall.

“You always have to be ready. You don’t expect to go in especially in a game like this. I had to get into it quickly and get into a groove,” said Brown, who defended Guggenberger. “He’s played unreal this whole playoff. It’s a team effort out there and you can’t just blame one guy.”

Huska said Brown’s effort was exceptional.

“When Adam came in I thought he did an unbelievable job for a guy that hadn’t played a meaningful game since March 14,” said Huska. “I think it says a lot about his character. We have a special goaltender that we’re going to have for a bunch of years to come.”

After a scoreless third period Rockets players watched as the Spitfires celebrated, becoming the first team in Memorial Cup history to come through the tiebreaker game and win the championship.

“We never quit and I knew we would never quit,” said Hamilton. “But I knew (Windsor) would play defence like they‘ve never played before, and they did. They just shut us down.

“We pushed and we had to take a lot of chances, and we still didn‘t get a lot of great scoring chances. At the end of the day, they‘re a pretty good team.”

Defenceman Tyler Myers said it was tough to take but the ride all the way to the Memorial Cup will be a special memory.

“I certainly won’t forget it,” said Myers. “The one thing that I won’t forget is the teammates I did it with. This is the closest group I’ve ever been a part of and I’m proud to say I was involved with them.”

Two Rockets made the tournament all star team as Jamie Benn and Tyler Myers were both named to the team. Benn was the tournament top scorer.

Scoring summary

First Period
1. Windsor Adam Henrique 4 (Nemisz) 3:22
2. Windsor Dale Mitchell 5 (Cundari) 4:58
3. Windsor Rob Kwiet (Loktionov, Henrique) 7:11 pp

Second period
4. Kelowna Colin Long 1 (Benn, Backlund) :08 pp
5. Windsor Ryan Ellis 3 (Hall, Cundari) 12:46

Shots on goal
Kelowna 22
Windsor 28

Power plays
Kelowna 1 for 3
Windsor 1 for 7

Attendance: 4,811

http://www.bclocalnews.com/okanagan_similkameen/kelownacapitalnews/sports/hockey/MEMORIAL_CUP_Kelowna_loses_final_to_Windsor.html

[Malc]

By Regan Bartel

The Kelowna Rockets season came to an end 247 days after it started. The Windsor Spitfires scored three times on the first three shots they took, in a 4-1 win Sunday afternoon at the 2009 Memorial Cup. The Spitfires are Memorial Cup champions for the first time in franchise history.

Ryan Huska is now 4 and 1 in Memorial Cup finals. The Rockets head coach was 4 and 0 as a player/ assistant coach before Sunday's setback.

It's easy to look at Mark Guggenberger and use him as the reason the Rockets fell victim to the Spitifires. Guggenberger allowed three goals on three shots before being yanked, but the Rockets still had 53 minutes to get back in the game.

As one observer told me, it was a 1-1 tie for the final 53 minutes of the game.

The bright spot in a tough effort was the play of back up goaltender Adam Brown. Brown made 24 of 25 saves in a relief appearance after coming into the game for Mark Guggenberger. Brown, who hadn't played since mid March, made several big saves to give his team a chance to get back in the game.

I thought Colin Long's goal 8 seconds into the second period would have given the Rockets the lift they needed, but on this night it was tough to create quality offensive chances.

The game saw the junior careers of no less than nine Rockets. Ian Duval, Ryley Grantham and Tysen Dowzak graduate from the league while Mikeal Backlund, Jamie Benn, Colin Long, Cody Almond, Tyler Myers are expected to move on to the pro level.

How banged up were the Rockets? Head coach Ryan Huska told us on the post game show that forward Lucas Bloodoff underwent knee surgery before the start of the playoffs. Huska said defenceman Collin Bowman was playing with a second degree separation of his shoulder while goaltender Mark Guggenberger had played the last two months with a pulled groin.

It was good to see Kyle Verdino see his first action of the tournament late in the third period of the championship game. Verdino dressed for every game, but saw little action throughout the tournament as Myers, Barrie, McMillan, Bowman and Dowzak ate up most of the minutes.

I will admit I was a little turned off by the reaction of the crowd at the Colisee over the booing every time the Rockets touched the puck. The booing was the result of the fans belief that the Rockets threw Tuesday's game against the Spitfires when they had a chance to eliminate them from the tournament. Essentially it looked like the fans are blaming the Rockets for the demise of both Rimouski and Drummondville. Windsor would beat Rimouski in the tie breaker before eliminating Drummondville in the semi finals. To say the Rockets threw the game is laughable.

Despite Sunday's loss, it's hard to take a negative look at the 2008-2009 season. The playoff run this team had this season could only challenge the playoff run of 2005, when the Rockets won the WHL title.

Was this referee Chris Savage's final game in junior hockey? I hope not. Savage received the honour of refereeing Sunday's final. Savage also called the final at the 2004 Memorial Cup in Kelowna. Savage is a good bet to referee at the upcoming Winter Olympics.

http://reganbartel.blogspot.com/2009/05/bad-end-to-great-season.html

[dondo]

Guggie's horseshoes finally wore off. I guess he was too ramped up. The first goal was a great one, but the other two really poor in that kind of game. You gotta feel for the kid, but really if there's one game you have to ready to play it's that one. Brown did very well in relief.

The Rockets were very tentative in that game and should have used their size more to drive the net and fight through the traffic and draw the penalty if not score a goal. Unfortunately they forged their own destiny by not eliminating Windsor when they could have and incurred the ire of the Rimouski fans so they played the final game in a very hostile atmosphere. Not really conducive to winning the Cup.

They had a great run, but in the end could not pull out the game they needed to bring. However one game can go either way. I was hoping for a more entertaining tilt, but it was a fairly poor way to give away the Cup. Disappointing.

[Malc]

by Wayne Moore

A few hundred die-hard Kelowna Rockets fans made sure their heroes knew they were appreciated, win, lose or draw.

Fans turned up at Prospera Place Monday afternoon to greet the team after Sunday's 4-1 defeat in the Memorial Cup final at the hands of the Windsor Spitfires.

For more than an hour, players signed autographs, posed for pictures and talked with fans who shared their disappointment over Sunday's outcome.

The loss still hurts, but for head coach, Ryan Huska, time brings with it perspective.

"I think you are able to put things into a little bit better perspective and you can reflect back a little bit on what our players were able to accomplish this year. They came together as a group and learned how to play as a team from the second half of the year and through the playoffs," says Huska.

"That's what's special about it, seeing a bunch of individuals become a team and that is what we are very proud of."

Huska says despite the loss, the players should still be proud of what they accomplished to get into the Memorial Cup final.

Those words were not lost on Colin Long, one of about eight players who may not be back for another season.

"Just to go that far with this group of guys and play all the way to the final game of the year is amazing and I am proud to be part of this group," says Long.

The Rockets captain says the team went through a lot of ups and downs, especially early in the season, which made the playoff run that sweeter.

"That just shows how resilient we are. There were a lot of doubters when we were going through some tough times. That kind of stuff just brought us closer.

One player who has most surely played his last game as a Rocket is forward Jamie Benn.

The 19-year-old Victoria native led the WHL in playoff scoring and tied for the scoring lead at the Memorial Cup with nine points.

He says hes proud of what the players were able to accomplish.

"It seemed like we were underdogs throughout the playoffs and we just kept rising to the occasion and beat some good teams," says Benn.

"We came up a little short, but it was a heck of a run."

Benn says there is no one moment that sticks out for him through the season. He says he's just thankful to the organization and his teammates for a memorable year.

Sixty teams started out the season hoping to make it to the Memorial Cup final. The other 58 were relegated to the role of spectator, something Huska says his players will cherish over time.

"We are very well aware of that and that's why once the sting of losing wears off they'll understand how proud they should be of themselves and their effort. They are Western Hockey League champs, they are the group that has added two more banners to this building and that's something that will be there forever."

Huska says that is an accomplishment that will bond this group together forever.

The players will spend the next few days packing and saying their goodbyes and taking part in exit interviews with the coaches before leaving for their respective home towns.

For Huska and the rest of the coaches and management, the work now begins for next season.

"Yea, it's funny, it's going to be June soon. That's a nice thing when you are playing this deep for this amount of time, you don't have a long summer but it means you're doing something right. We'll take some time off, get ourselves re-energized and re-focussed and ready to go."

http://castanet.net/news/Sports/47164/Rockets-return-to-heroes-welcome