2017 RBC Cup

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2017 RBC Cup
Game #13
Championship
Final (OT)
May 21, 2017 5:30 pm EDT
Cobourg Community Centre
Cobourg, ON

Scoring

Teams
1st
2nd
3rd
OT
Final
Teams
1
2
3
OT
F
1
0
1
0
2
1
0
1
1
3

Shots on Goal

1st
2nd
3rd
OT
Final
1
2
3
OT
F
13
13
12
5
43
4
7
6
6
23

Statistics

PP
PIM
1 / 5
8
0 / 3
12

Game Story

MINERVA SCORES IN OVERTIME, COUGARS WIN RBC CUP

JASON LA ROSE

COBOURG, Ont. – Nick Minerva was the overtime hero, scoring 8:21 into the extra period, and the Cobourg Cougars erased a late deficit to edge the Brooks Bandits 3-2 and win the 2017 RBC Cup on Sunday night.

Off a won face-off in the offensive zone, Minerva took a pass from Matt Bumstead and absolutely wired a one-timer past Brooks goaltender Mitch Benson, setting off a raucous celebration at the jam-packed Cobourg Community Centre.

The Cougars are the ninth host team to claim Canada’s National Junior A Championship since the start of the tournament format in 1985, and the second in three years, joining the 2015 Portage Terriers.

Brooks held a wide advantage in shots on goal in the first period, 13-4, but the game went to the first intermission tied at a goal apiece.

Cobourg struck first, with Jamie Huber jumping on a turnover in the Brooks zone and playing give-and-go with Connor MacEachern before beating Benson to make it 1-0 before the clock hit four minutes.

That ended a lengthy shutout streak for Benson, who had not allowed a goal in more than 169 minutes.

Conner Jean pulled the Bandits even less than five minutes later on the power play, whacking a backhand past Cobourg netminder Stefano Durante after a scramble in front of the Cougars goal.

Durante was the story in a scoreless second period, making 13 more saves and keeping the Bandits at bay on a trio of power-play opportunities, sending the game to the final frame even 1-1.

Brooks took its first lead at 8:31 of the third period; Cale Makar kept the puck in at the blue-line and worked it down low to captain Nick Prkusic, who spun into the slot and jammed it past Durante for the 2-1 goal.

It looked like that goal was going to stand up as the title-winner, and the Cougars put Durante in the bench in the dying seconds in search of a last-gasp equalizer.

With Cobourg working the puck around the Bandits’ zone, Brennan Roy threw the puck towards the net, where Ryan Casselman – the Cougars’ leading point-getter during the regular season, who had yet to score in the tournament – redirected it past a screened Benson to tie the game with just 68 seconds to go and set up the heroics from Minerva.

Durante capped an impressive tournament with a 41-save performance; he played every second for the Cougars, fashioning a 2.64 goals-against average and .940 save percentage, stopping 172 of 183 shots.

The Chilliwack Chiefs of the British Columbia Hockey League will host the 2018 RBC Cup from May 12-20.

Play-by-Play

Team
Description
Time
1st Period
GOAL
Goal: Jamie Huber

Assists: Connor MacEachern
03:56
PENALTY
Penalty: Nick Minerva
Hooking (2:00)
08:14
GOAL (POWER PLAY)
Goal: Conner Jean

Assists: Parker Foo, Cale Makar
08:51
PENALTY
Penalty: Nick Minerva
Interference (2:00)
13:57
PENALTY
Penalty: Dennis Cesana
Tripping (2:00)
17:11
2nd Period
PENALTY
Penalty: Brennan Roy
Tripping (2:00)
00:50
PENALTY
Penalty: Cale Makar
Unsportsmanlike Conduct (2:00)
10:44
PENALTY
Penalty: Matt Carroll
Cross-Checking (2:00)
10:44
PENALTY
Penalty: Nic Hamre
High-Sticking (2:00)
13:53
PENALTY
Penalty: Nick Minerva
Interference (2:00)
14:50
3rd Period
PENALTY
Penalty: Theo Lewis
Boarding (2:00)
03:53
GOAL
Goal: Nick Prkusic

Assists: Cale Makar
11:29
PENALTY
Penalty: Ty Mappin
Slashing (2:00)
16:41
GOAL
Goal: Ryan Casselman

Assists: Brennan Roy, Brenden Locke
18:53
Overtime
GOAL
Goal: Nick Minerva

Assists: Matt Bumstead, Josh Maguire
08:21

Goaltenders

Name Team Mins SA SVS GA SV%
Mitch Benson BRO 68 23 20 3 0.870
Stefano Durante COB 68 43 41 2 0.953

Game Leaders

Goals 0 - Assists 2 - Points 2
G 0 - A 2 - P 2
Goals 1 - Assists 0 - Points 1
G 1 - A 0 - P 1
Goals 1 - Assists 0 - Points 1
G 1 - A 0 - P 1
Goals 1 - Assists 0 - Points 1
G 1 - A 0 - P 1
Goals 1 - Assists 0 - Points 1
G 1 - A 0 - P 1
Goals 1 - Assists 0 - Points 1
G 1 - A 0 - P 1

Previous Games

2 - 3 L @ Cobourg CougarsCOB
May 21, 2017
3 - 2 W vs. Brooks BanditsBRO
May 21, 2017
4 - 0 W vs. Cobras de TerrebonneTER
May 20, 2017
3 - 1 W vs. Penticton VeesPEN
May 20, 2017
2 - 5 L vs. Cobourg CougarsCOB
May 18, 2017
5 - 2 W @ Brooks BanditsBRO
May 18, 2017
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