SHAWINIGAN, Que. – Henrik Samuelsson broke a tie 13:42 into the third period as the Edmonton Oil Kings downed the host Shawinigan Cataractes 4-3 in a wild opening game of the Mastercard Memorial Cup on Friday night.
The teams went into the third period tied 1-1 and then piled up five goals over the final 20 minutes.
Griffin Reinhart and Martin Gernat got early third-period goals for Edmonton, only to see Anton Zlobin and Michael Chaput, with his second of the night, tie it up again for Shawinigan.
Shawinigan’s failure to clear the zone let Samuelsson, son of former NHL defenceman Ulf Samuelsson, finish a three-way passing play with Stephane Legault and Reinhart to give the Oil Kings back the lead.
Kristians Pelss also scored for the Western Hockey League champions.
The round robin portion of the four-team tournament continues Saturday night when the defending champion Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League face the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights.
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The not-quite sellout crowd at the 4,125-seat Bionest Centre were still booing an uncalled high-sticking incident when Reinhart got the puck in his own zone, broke down the left wing and picked the top corner on Alex Dubeau’s glove side for a 2-1 lead 1:01 into the third period.
Gernat then sneaked a wrist shot past Dubeau with the teams each short a man at 5:21.
But Zlobin burst down the right wing and jammed the puck between Laurent Brossoit’s pads and saw it trickle over the line. The goal was allowed only after video review.
Chaput picked the pocket of defenceman Keegan Lowe in front of the Edmonton net and chipped the puck in at 13:19.
The Oil Kings got the first goal of the tournament as a turnover at the Shawinigan blue-line left two men in alone. Michael St. Croix slipped the puck to Pelss for a shot into an open side 2:41 into the game.
Shawinigan showed hustle in grabbing the edge in play and earned consecutive power plays. Chaput scored on the second power play at 8:36, converting the rebound of a Brandon Gormley point shot.
The Cataractes were playing their first game since being knocked out in the second round of QMJHL playoffs by Chicoutimi on April 17. They created most of the scoring chances through the first two periods but showed rust in their ability to connect.
The Oil Kings were coming off a Game 7 win over Portland in the WHL final on Sunday.
Notes _ Shawinigan’s Kirill Kabanov left the ice with blood gushing onto the ice after taking a puck to the face in the first period, but returned to start the second frame. . . It was the 27th anniversary of the Cataractes 6-1 loss to Prince Albert in the 1985 Memorial Cup final.
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