Everett Silvertips shut out Kelowna Rockets 4-0 in Memorial Cup, advance to semifinal

KELOWNA — The Everett Silvertips blanked the Kelowna Rockets 4-0 in the Memorial Cup on Wednesday to advance to the semifinal.

Kayd Ruedig and Matias Vanhanen led Everett with a goal and an assist apiece. Jaxon Pisani and Carter Bear also scored for the Western Hockey League champions, and starting goalie Anders Miller posted a 28-save shutout.

Everett capped the preliminary round with two wins and one loss.

“A lot of the year we’ve talked about picking each other up in big moments,” said Silvertips head coach Steve Hamilton. “This was a pretty key game. We didn’t want to be in a position where we were leaving the fate of our going forward in someone else’s hands.

“Great performance by Anders and some key timely offence.”

The Silvertips meet the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League’s Chicoutimi Sagueneens, who went 1-2, in Friday’s semifinal. Everett beat Chicoutimi 5-3 in the preliminary round.

The Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers have an express ticket into Sunday’s final after going 3-0.

The Rangers seek a third straight title for the OHL after the Saginaw Spirit in 2024 and the London Knights in 2025.

Kelowna, which went winless and scored twice in three games, was eliminated from contention.

“If goals cost a dollar we brought 75 cents to the rink with us tonight,” said Rockets head coach Derrick Martin.

“Miller was big when he needed to be big. I don’t think we did a good enough job of testing him in the first 40 minutes. The end result is, unfortunately, we’re done.”

Everett ousted Kelowna from the WHL playoffs in five games in the second round, so the Rockets bided their time before facing the Silvertips at Prospera Place again Wednesday.

The Silvertips were without top NHL prospect Landon DuPont after he was injured in Monday’s 6-2 loss to Kitchener. DuPont participated in warm-up Wednesday, but didn’t play.

But Everett started fast, with Ruedig and Pisani scoring in a 25-second span starting at 7:22 of the first period.

Ruedig’s wobbling shot from the boards handcuffed Kelowna goalie Josh Banani.

Pisani, the son of former Edmonton Oilers forward Fernando Pisani, scored with a floater shot from the blue line for his first goal ever for the Silvertips.

“Pretty surreal and pretty cool to do it at the biggest junior hockey tournament there is,” said Josh Pisani.

Everett’s hard forecheck kept the puck onside for Vanhanen’s wrist shot and his third goal of the tournament 63 seconds into the second period.

Bear, a first-round draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings last year, struck at 13:07 of the third when he wired his own rebound by Banani.

Kelowna’s starter was replaced by Harrison Boettiger early in the second after allowing three goals on 11 shots. Boettiger stopped 21 of 22 shots the rest of the game.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2026.

The Canadian Press