Oshawa Generals win 2015 MasterCard Memorial Cup
Quebec City - The Oshawa Generals are 2015 MasterCard Memorial Cup champions following a 2-1 overtime victory against the Kelowna Rockets.
Rookie Anthony Cirelli, who made the team out of training camp as a free agent invitee, buried two goals including the winner just 1:28 into overtime to crown the Generals national champions for the fifth time in franchise history, and first time since 1990.
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The 97th edition of the MasterCard Memorial Cup also marked the final games at Colisée Pepsi ending in dramatic fashion with the Memorial Cup awarded for the ninth time since 1972 following an overtime decision.
Kelowna took the first lead of the night at 15:08 when Tomas Soustal netted his first of the MasterCard Memorial Cup. The Generals tied the score at 13:50 of the second period with Cirelli's first of the night.
A battle between the pipes at both ends of the ice saw tremendous goaltending by the Generals Ken Appleby who made 37 saves, and the Rockets' Jackson Whistle who had 24 stops.
The Memorial Cup returns to Ontario for the first time since 2010 when the Windsor Spitfires defeated the Brandon Wheat Kings, while the Generals become the first OHL Eastern Conference team to capture the title since the Ottawa 67's did so in 1999.
2015 MasterCard Memorial Cup Awards
Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Most Valuable Player)
Leon Draisaitl (Kelowna)
Hap Emms Memorial Trophy (Outstanding Goaltender)
Ken Appleby (Oshawa)
George Parsons Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike Player)
Alexis Loiseau (Rimouski)
Ed Chynoweth Trophy (Leading Scorer)
Leon Draisaitl (Kelowna)
2015 MasterCard Memorial Cup All-Star Team:
F - Nick Merkley (Kelowna)
F - Michael McCarron (Oshawa)
F - Michael Dal Colle (Oshawa)
D - Madison Bowey (Kelowna)
D - Ryan Graves (Quebec)
G - Ken Appleby (Oshawa)