Kitchener rolls past Everett for franchise’s third Memorial Cup title

Tourney MVP Sam O’Reilly scored once, added three assists as Rangers beat Western Hockey League champs 6-2

Published May 31, 2026  •  Last updated 22 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

The Kitchener Rangers celebrate after defeating the Everett Silvertips during their 2026 Memorial Cup final game at Prospera Place on May 31, 2026, in Kelowna, B.C. Photo by Derek Cain /Getty Images

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The Kitchener Rangers’ dominant run at the Memorial Cup tournament ended Sunday with the Ontario Hockey League franchise’s third national championship.

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Tournament MVP Sam O’Reilly, a Toronto native, scored once and added three assists as the Rangers beat the Western Hockey League champion Everett Silvertips 6-2 on Sunday night at Prospera Place in Kelowna, B.C.

Jack Pridham also scored and added two assists, while Dylan Edwards, Luke Ellinas, Christian Humphreys and Jared Woolley added goals for the Rangers, who outscored their opponents by a 20-6 margin at the tournament.

Carter Bear and Matias Vanhanen scored for the Silvertips, who ended the regular season as the Canadian Hockey League’s top-ranked team.

Christian Kirsch made 30 saves in the Kitchener net. Anders Miller made 26 stops for Everett.

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More accolades for O’Reilly

For O’Reilly, it marked a banner year that included a regular season most outstanding player, league playoff MVP and Memorial Cup MVP awards, joining Brad Richards (Rimouski Oceanic), Corey Perry and Mitch Marner (London Knights) as the only players to accomplish the feat, according to TSN.

“I’ve been really fortunate with the teams I’ve been a part of and the coaches I’ve been able to learn from,” the Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, who was a first-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers before being traded last summer, told TSN after the game.

“I wouldn’t be here without my good buddies and the coaches I’ve had.”

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It was also his second straight Memorial Cup title after helping the archrival Knights claim the franchise’s third national championship. O’Reilly and Woolley joined Kitchener in a blockbuster deal in January that sent defenceman Jacob Xu and 10 draft picks to London.

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“It’s pretty crazy,” he told TSN. “I don’t think I’d be thinking about that coming into my junior career, so I’ve been really grateful for the opportunities I’ve been put in and thankfully it’s worked out like this.”

Kitchener, which hoisted the Memorial Cup in 1982 and 2003 as well, finished the round-robin portion of the tournament with a 3-0 record thanks to wins over Everett, the host Kelowna Rockets and the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League champion Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

The Silvertips, meanwhile, were making the franchise’s first appearance at the Memorial Cup and beat Kelowna (once) and Chicoutimi (twice) to qualify for the final.

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