Kitchener Rangers blank host Rockets to start Memorial Cup campaign
Posted May 23, 2026 01:37:45 AM.
Last Updated May 23, 2026 01:37:50 AM.
It was a night 18 years in the making.
The Kitchener Rangers returned to the Memorial Cup for the first time since 2008 with an emphatic 5-0 win over the hosts, the Kelowna Rockets.
Five different players found the back of the net for the Rangers, including Rangers forward Sam O’Reilly, who has now scored in three straight Memorial Cup tournaments.
The hometown crowd filled Prospera Place in Kelowna alongside hundreds of fans who travelled from every corner of the nation to take in the tournament.
“The team played a solid defensive game,” said Rangers Head Coach Jussi Ahokas after the game. “Our effort was there, and it’s a good way to continue the tournament.”
Rangers netminder Christian Kirsch earned a shutout in the victory, making 23 saves en route to the win.
“We gotta stay humble and keep working,” said Kirsch after the game.
The Rangers get the weekend off before returning to the ice to take on the WHL champions, the Everett Silvertips, on Monday.
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