KELOWNA, BC – As of Saturday night, all four teams participating in the Memorial Cup have made their tournament debuts. The WHL Champion Everett Silvertips faced off against the QMJHL Champion Chicoutimi Saguenéens.

The Silvertips had their legs from the jump. They dominated the first 10 minutes of the game, outshooting the Saguenéens 9-0 and scoring their first Memorial Cup goal in franchise history off the stick of long-tenured Silvertip Jesse Heslop less than two minutes into the contest. While the Saguenéens didn’t generate much early, they scored on their first shot of the game.

The script flipped in the second period, with the Saguenéens coming out hot and took the lead early in the middle frame. But the Silvertips responded with three consecutive goals within a 10-minute span. The fourth goal was fairly controversial, as Carter Bear cross-checked Jordan Tourigny behind the net, straight in the numbers, away from the puck, and circled the net, leaving Bear wide open at the side of the net to bury the pass from Landon DuPont. Here is the play:

CanucksArmy asked Saguenéens head coach Yanick Jean postgame about the hit and what explanation he received from the referees on the non-call: “I didn’t get any explanation. Maybe they missed it. I don’t know. I was in shock a bit, but maybe the standards are different.”

The score would remain 4-2 for a while, until late in the third when the Silvertips took their first penalty of the game, when Maxim Massé scored on a 6-on-4 to pull the Saguenéens to within one. However, a poor turnover from Nathan Lecompte gave Matias Vanhanen a breakaway with a wide-open net to secure the 5-3 victory for the Silvertips.

EVT 1-0: Jesse Heslop (1), unassisted.

CHI 1-1: Christophe Berthelot (1), from Alexis Bernier (1) and Anton Linde (1).

CHI 2-1: Alex Huang (1), from Liam Lefebvre (1) and Nathan Lecompte (1).

EVT 2-2: Lukas Kaplan (1), from Jaxsin Vaughn (1) and Rylan Gould (1).

EVT 3-2: Zackary Shantz (1), from Jesse Heslop (1).

EVT 4-2: Carter Bear (1), from Landon DuPont (1) and Matias Vanhanen (1).

CHI 4-3: Maxim Massé (1), from Thomas Desruisseaux (1) and Jordan Tourigny (1).

EVT 5-3: Matias Vanhanen (1), unassisted.

The Silvertips came out as advertised. The top line of Bear-Miettinen-Vanhanen was dominant early on, dictated play, and were rewarded for their play in the second period with a goal. But the strength of the Silvertips was their depth scoring. Lukas Kaplan, Zackary Shantz, and Jesse Heslop were three of their four goal scorers on the goaltender. Head coach Steve Hamilton praised his team’s discipline postgame, crediting them for not getting into extra trouble after the whistle. It appears like a two-horse race between the Silvertips and Kitchener Rangers, so Monday’s game will be massive for tournament standings and a potential preview of a potential final.

Outside of the poor start, the Saguenéens were better than expected. Up front, Maxim Massé stood out as a skilled power forward. Alex Huang from the backend made a great move from the blueline to create space for himself and sent a laser of a shot bar down to give the Saguenéens the lead in the second period. The one downfall was some leaky goals from Lucas Beckman. The Silvertips’ first two goals, from Heslop and Kaplan, leaked through him. Beckman bounced back in the third period, making some massive stops on a late Silvertips power play to keep the game within two. We’ll see if he can bounce back on Sunday against the host city Kelowna Rockets.

Outside of the big names on the Silvertips, Heslop was Everett’s most noticeable player. He got the weak goal early, but dazzled on a few plays in the offensive zone, dangling through the Saguenéens’ zone to create quality looks on net. Heslop’s best play came in the second period when he went behind the net, waited until Beckman committed to the other side of his net and sifted a back pass to Shantz for a wide-open net to give the Silvertips the lead.

Heslop had a goal and an assist and was a plus-one rating on the night, earning himself the player of the game honours.

As mentioned, Massé was a force in this game. His speed was impressive for a 6’3″ forward, and he has a cannon of a shot, which he displayed on the late third period goal. He finished the night with the lone goal, but led the Saguenéens forwards with five shots on goal. He will be fun to watch against a more physical opponent in the Rockets on Sunday.

Liske’s name was all over my notepad. The 6’2″, 187-lb defenceman was really impressive for the small plays that usually go unnoticed. He played alongside DuPont on the top defensive pairing, so it’s easy to overlook him a bit. However, his defensive play stood out for his stick lifts to regain possession, his patience in seeking the correct outlet pass to clear the zone, and his ability to play with and cater to an elite player in DuPont was impressive. As he and DuPont are right-shot defencemen, Liske had to play the left side, and did not look out of place. He’s currently projected to be selected in the middle of the third round and could be a Canucks target at 77 overall.

Vanhanen found the scoresheet twice, picking up an assist on the Bear goal and a great read to intercept the pass and send himself in on a breakaway with the empty net. He’s currently projected by DailyFaceoff as a late second-round pick – likely out of the Canucks’ range. But with a strong tournament, he could move up the draft board. The only qualm about Vanhanen is his slight frame of 5’10”, 174-lbs. That said, his skill is undeniable, so don’t completely write him off because of his size.