It was a do-or-die situation for Montreal Canadiens prospects Jared Davidson and Owen Beck at the Memorial Cup.
And while it’s certainly true Beck and the Peterborough Petes have provided a significant amount of excitement and drama to the tournament, they finally ran out of magic tricks while facing Davidson and the Seattle Thunderbirds, arguably the best team in the CHL throughout the entirety of the season.
Beck And Davidson Shine
It was a tentative start for both clubs, leading to a scoreless game at the first intermission.
Davidson spent the majority of the first period in the offensive zone, his natural habitat, but for the most part, the Petes once again did a great job mitigating shots from high-danger areas.
The game took a vicious turn when Petes defenceman Cam Gauvreau hit Davidson from behind, but thankfully the Canadiens prospect was no worse for wear following the questionable decision to hit Davidson in the numbers.
Beck was easily one of Peterborough’s few players that managed to generate quality scoring chances. The Canadiens prospect came close to opening the score midway through the second period, but his quick shot only managed to hit iron.
The Thunderbirds finally broke through the Petes’ stalwart defensive strategy late in the second period, though it would be unfair to blame Peterborough goaltender Michael Simpson. The 20-year-old goaltender was clearly the team’s most valuable player on Friday, keeping the Petes in the game while the Thunderbirds directed an impressive number of shots his way.
Thanks to Beck’s fantastic vision and high-end playmaking, Peterborough finally broke through early in the third period, cutting the Thunderbirds’ lead to 2-1.
Beck would go on to generate four high-danger chances in the third period.
But it was too little, too late.
Davidson set up Kyle Crnokovic for his fifth goal of the tournament, and with it, put an end to Peterborough’s thrilling Cinderella run in the CHL playoffs.
With the win, the Thunderbirds secured their spot at the Memorial Cup Final versus the powerhouse Quebec Remparts. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM on Sunday.
Other Canadiens Prospect News And Notes
- Several Montreal Canadiens prospects were named to their leagues’ respective All-Star Teams.
- The biggest honour belongs to Riley Kidney, who was named to the CHL’s Third All-Star Team.
- Logan Mailloux was named to the OHL’s Second All-Star Team, while forward Owen Beck was named to the OHL’s Third All-Star Team.
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