New dates have been announced for the 2022 Memorial Cup, which will be held in Saint John in June.
The Saint John Sea Dogs will host the tournament beginning June 20, with the championship game on June 29.
The Memorial Cup was initially set to be held in early June, however, the hockey season was impacted by delays due to the surge in COVID-19 Omicron variant cases.
“Due to ongoing challenges related to the pandemic, we have moved forward the schedule for the 2022 Memorial Cup presented by Kia with the assurance that it will allow all three of our member leagues to complete their regular season and playoff schedules and provide our fans with the highest level of competition,” said CHL President Dan MacKenzie, in a statement.
“We are excited to bring the best the CHL has to offer to Saint John and to crown a national champion for the first time in three years.”
Tickets that were purchased for the original dates will automatically update. Some tickets are still available for sale, the tournament noted.
The Sea Dogs will be one of four teams competing for the Cup. They will be joined by each of the playoff champions from the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
It’s the first time the Memorial Cup will be played since 2019, as COVID-19 has cancelled it the last two years. It was last hosted by the Halifax Mooseheads and won by the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.
Saint John will become the third city from the Maritimes to host the event. Halifax has had the honour twice, and Moncton, once.
All games from the 2022 Memorial Cup will be nationally televised by TSN and RDS.
The complete schedule for the tournament:
Mon., June 20 – Game 1: Saint John vs. OHL
Tues., June 21 – Game 2: QMJHL vs. WHL at
Wed., June 22 – Game 3: Saint John vs. WHL
Thurs., June 23 – Game 4: QMJHL vs. OHL
Fri., June 24 – Game 5: WHL vs. OHL
Sat., June 25 – Game 6: Saint John vs. QMJHL
Sun., June 26 – Tie-Breaker, if necessary
Mon., June 27 – Semi-Final
Wed., June 29 – Championship Final
— With a file from Alex Cooke