Memorial Cup chance a childhood dream come true for Andonovski
Posted May 29, 2026 02:37:43 PM.
Last Updated May 29, 2026 03:34:09 PM.
The Kitchener Rangers have brought players with them to Kelowna who will never see the ice at the Memorial Cup, but having the likes of Alex Forrest, Ian Robinson, and goaltender Mason Hriczov on the trip could pay dividends down the road thanks to the invaluable experience.
Led by Forrest’s nine games, the trio of players have a combined 15 games of OHL experience.
And then there’s Matt Andonovski.
The veteran defenceman has spent his entire junior career in Kitchener and returned this January after a stint in the American Hockey League with the Belleville Senators. Andonovski has played in 264 regular-season games with the Rangers and another 54 in the playoffs. Win or lose, the Memorial Cup final on Sunday will be his last junior hockey game.
“I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet,” Andonovski shares. “Coming off the ice (after the Rangers win over Chicoutimi on Tuesday), Eddy (teammate and fellow fifth-year player Dylan Edwards) kind of tapped me and said, ‘Our last game is going to be the finals.’ And I think that’s when it really hit me. I don’t think it could have been written any better. To end this junior career on my own terms has been awesome.”
While many young hockey players have dreams of one day hoisting the Stanley Cup, the national junior hockey trophy caught Andonovski’s attention at a young age because the Memorial Cup tournament fell on the same date as a significant family event.
“It always happened around our family reunion,” Andonovski remembers. “My aunt actually texted me before the tournament started and said, ‘You’d say as a little kid you always wanted to play there.’ And now it’s finally happening.”
While Andonovski has waited five seasons for this moment, younger teammates have arrived earlier, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less hungry for a championship.
“Felt good to get that one,” second-year player Cameron Arquette says of the goal he scored during the round robin. “Anything I can do to help the team and hopefully bring the Memorial Cup back to Kitchener.”
With two years of OHL eligibility remaining, Arquette has played about half as many games as Andonovski. This moment is not lost on him, though.
“It’s unbelievable, and I don’t really have the words to put it into perspective,” Arquette admits. “I never really thought this chance would happen, but we’ve got a pretty good chance on our hands now. We just have to finish it off.”
The chance to finish it off comes on Sunday night and you’ll hear the game on 570 NewsRadio. The pregame show starts at 6:30 p.m. ET.
