2025 Memorial Cup: Wildcats rally through tragedy to earn Memorial Cup semifinal berth

In the face of heartbreak, the Moncton Wildcats have found resilience — both on and off the ice.

Monday was supposed to be a career highlight for Moncton general manager Taylor MacDougall. But just 20 minutes before puck drop at the Memorial Cup, he received a devastating phone call that would change everything: his father-in-law, Patrick Buckley, had died of a sudden heart attack.

Buckley had travelled to Rimouski from Fredericton earlier that day to support the Wildcats and his family. After checking into his hotel with Taylor’s help, Buckley went out for a round of golf but never returned. He was later found in his car.

“He kissed Taylor’s daughter Lily goodbye that morning. She’s four years old. That’s the last time she’ll ever kiss her granddad,” said Wildcats head coach Gardiner MacDougall — who is also Taylor’s father — during an emotional press conference Wednesday. 

“That call changed Taylor’s life.”

Gardiner, who coached Moncton in Monday’s 3-1 loss to the Medicine Hat Tigers, called it the most difficult game of his career. Taylor flew home immediately after the game to be with his wife and family in Fredericton.

But on Wednesday, the elder MacDougall remained behind the bench for what was arguably Moncton’s most important game of the season: a win-or-go-home showdown against the host Rimouski Océanic.

Despite a slow start, Moncton rallied for a 6-2 victory to punch their ticket to Friday’s Memorial Cup semifinal against the London Knights. The winner will face Medicine Hat in Sunday’s final.

“We were atrocious,” said Gardiner of his team’s first period, in which they were outshot 17-6 and trailed 2-1. “That may be, I don’t know, the worst period in Memorial Cup hockey.”

Whatever was said in the dressing room between periods worked.

Moncton scored twice early in the second period to take control of the game — and never looked back.

Smith leads offensive surge

Forward Gabe Smith led the Wildcats’ offence with two goals and two assists, while Juraj Pekarcik and Julius Sumpf each chipped in with a goal and an assist. Defenceman Etienne Morin also scored, and Alex Mercier added an empty-net goal and assist. Preston Lounsbury tallied two helpers.

“We got a special talk in the room,” Smith said. “Coach is a very special motivator. We started playing our hockey after that.”

Goaltender Mathis Rousseau made 32 saves, including 15 in the opening frame to keep Moncton within reach.

“He’s been our star,” said Gardiner. “Despite the atrocious period, we were only down one. That’s why the trade was made.”

Rousseau, 20, was acquired from the Halifax Mooseheads in January and took over as Moncton’s full-time starter during the playoffs. He entered Wednesday’s game with a .943 save percentage across three Memorial Cup outings and continued to prove why he was one of the tournament’s top goaltenders.

Moncton had already beaten Rimouski in six games to win the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League title last week — on the same ice surface at Colisée Financière Sun Life.

Wildcats persevere in more ways than one

The emotional weight of the week wasn’t lost on the Wildcats dressing room.

“When it happens to one person on our team, it happens to everyone,” said captain Markus Vidicek of Buckley’s death. “So for us, it was a lot.”

The MacDougall family mantra, “FOE — Family Over Everything,” has resonated deeply throughout the locker room since Gardiner and Taylor joined the organization in August.

“When we took the job over, the Wildcats weren’t as tight as you’d want to be,” Gardiner said. “But this year, they’ve proven they are. Great teams are tight teams.” 

Patrick Buckley, he added, was the ultimate family man and passionate hockey supporter.

“He came to all our playoff games. He was so excited to be here. We can’t control some parts of life, so we’ve just got to make the best of it today. And there’s a hockey game to be played.”

With perspective shaped by past tragedy — Gardiner lost his brother-in-law in 1997 following a military training accident — the veteran coach knows all too well that hockey, as important as it is, often takes a back seat.

“Whatever happens tonight, we’re going to live tomorrow,” he said.

For now, the Wildcats will continue to live for another game, with a spot in the Memorial Cup final on the line.

Parts of this report were originally published May 28, 2025, by The Canadian Press.