Junior hockey’s most coveted trophy will be at stake on Wednesday night in Saint John.
The host Saint John Sea Dogs face the Hamilton Bulldogs in the Memorial Cup final.
For William Dufour, the fact the Sea Dogs are about to play for the national title is unbelievable.
“I’m going to give everything tonight to bring the Cup home, for sure,” Dufour told reporters Wednesday morning.
The 20-year-old forward leads the tournament in scoring with six goals and was instrumental in getting the Sea Dogs to the final.
Dufour scored four times in the final round-robin game of the tournament on Saturday, leading Saint John to a thrilling 5-3 victory against Quebec Major Junior Hockey League rival Shawinigan.
When it comes to Wednesday night’s match against Hamilton, Dufour said they are a good team and the Sea Dogs cannot give them any chances.
“We saw it in the third period against them in the first game of the tournament. We were up 4-1 and they came back with two goals quick in the third period,” he said.
“They have a very good offensive team, but we just need to take care of that and everything is going to be good.”
Dufour scored one goal in that game, which saw the Sea Dogs win 5-3.
Gardiner MacDougall, interim head coach of the Sea Dogs, said he hopes Lady Luck and Lady Momentum will be on their side again Wednesday night.
“I think the more energy you have, the harder you work, the more you see her on your side. We’ll hopefully have good energy, a great work ethic, and hopefully, those two ladies are by our side tonight,” said MacDougall.
MacDougall said Lady Momentum — or Lady Mo, as he called her — was the key to Saint John’s success on Saturday against Shawinigan.
The Sea Dogs were down 3-0 after the first period before scoring four goals in the fourth and a fifth goal in the third.
MacDougall said the crowd has been exceptional throughout the tournament, and he expects no different on Wednesday.
Puck drop at TD Station is at 7 p.m.
