KAMLOOPS | As the population of Kamloops prepares for what promises to be a very hot next few days, the Quebec Remparts are planning a storm Friday night during their first game of the Memorial Cup tournament against the host team, the Kamloops Blazers.
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The Remparts entered Kamloops late Wednesday afternoon and will use the next few hours to fine-tune their preparation and adjust to the jetlag in order to face off against a rested team.
The Blazers, who lost in the semifinals to eventual WHL champions the Seattle Thunderbirds, will therefore have benefited from 18 days of rest before the start of the competition.
“It’s the host team, the crowd will be behind them. “We have to be ready to face a storm early in the game and it will be a good challenge for our group,” Patrick Roy said Wednesday night during the traditional press conference that brought together the coaches of the four teams present at the Memorial Cup Competition. The others are Shaun Clouston (Kamloops), Matt O’Dette (Seattle) and Rob Wilson (Peterborough).
For Roy, however, home field advantage may not be as great as one might think. And he has a very concrete example to illustrate his point.
“We experienced it in the final when we played all our home games in front of 18,259 spectators and it put the pressure on our team. The start of the game will be important and the first goal could make the difference.
“We will have our hands full”
Kamloops Blazers head coach Shaun Clouston also had flowers to throw to his team’s first opponents.
“Because we had several days off, we were able to watch the games on TV and know what to expect. They have a lot of depth in attack and are a solid team on defense. It is very difficult to get on the net and you have to work to get there. They are also very good in transition. They defend well and then counterattack quickly. We still have a day to polish a few things, but we’ll have our hands full, that’s for sure.
A special participation
For Roy, it’s a return to the Memorial Cup, 17 years after winning the trophy in 2006 with Alexander Radulov’s team.
However, he admitted there was something special about being there with this group, which he often described as “special”.
“In 2006 we won the Memorial Cup in Moncton but lost in the league finals. So we kind of played the role of the host team. This year we won the championship at our circuit and that’s quite an achievement for our group. I am fortunate to have such a special group of great leaders. It’s an honor to coach these players and it means a lot to be here with them.”
The first game of the tournament between the Remparts and the Blazers takes place on Friday at 9 p.m.