Dufour scores 4 goals as Sea Dogs beat Cataractes to reach Memorial Cup final
The Shawinigan Cataractes scored 49 seconds in Saturday’s final round robin game at the Memorial Cup and took a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes at TD Station in Saint John, NB
Then William Dufour of the Saint John Sea Dogs said, « Hold my [root] Beer. »
Dufour, the New York Islanders’ 2020 fifth-round pick, scored three straight goals in the second period and added a fourth in the third as the tournament hosts scored five unanswered goals to defeat the Cataractes 5-3 to earn a place in Wednesday’s Cup final.
The trip to the final erases some of the disappointment of the Sea Dogs’ loss in the first round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs.
WATCH l Dufour Elevators Sea Dogs at the Memorial Cup Final:
William Dufour erased a 3-goal deficit with a hat trick in the 2nd period and added an insurance goal in the 3rd.
The Cataractes, with two round robin wins and a loss, will need to beat the Hamilton Bulldogs in Monday’s semifinal to get another shot at their QMJHL rival.
Jérémie Poirier scored Saint John’s other goal, while teammate Josh Lawrence added two assists. The Sea Dogs finished the round robin with two wins and one overtime loss.
Six-foot-three Dufour, named the QMJHL’s Most Valuable Player this season, had 56 goals and 116 points in the QMJHL regular season.
« To finish my [junior] a career like this is so great,” said Dufour, 20, calling the win one of his greatest hockey moments. “We still have a game to win. We’re just going to go. »
cbc sp
