The Hamilton Bulldogs are Memorial Cup bound. On Wednesday night, the Bulldogs won the J. Ross Robertson Cup by defeating the Windsor Spitfires 6-1. Hamilton won the Ontario Hockey League Final four games to three in the best out of seven series. They will be joined in the Memorial Cup by the Western Hockey League champion Edmonton Oil Kings, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Shawinigan Cataractes and the host Saint John Sea Dogs.
In game seven on Wednesday, Avery Hayes registered a hat trick. Meanwhile, Mason McTavish of Pembroke, Ontario scored twice and added an assist for three points. McTavish, who was drafted third overall in the 2022 National Hockey League Draft by the Anaheim Ducks, has played hockey at many different levels this past year. In addition to the Bulldogs, he played for Team Canada this year at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, the cancelled World Junior Hockey Championship in Edmonton, a brief time with the Ducks, the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League and the Peterborough Petes of the OHL.
The Bulldogs began the OHL Playoffs as the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, and won their first 12 playoff games. They swept the Peterborough Petes four games to none in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, the Mississauga Steelheads in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and then the North Bay Battalion in the Eastern Conference Finals. During their 12-game postseason winning streak en route to the J. Ross Robertson Cup, the Bulldogs outscored their opponents 60-21.
