Photo Courtesy: Rob Wallator/WHL

By Ethan Ready

WHL Cup Champs

Team BC wins WHL Cup; Prince George’s Miguel Marques finishes as tournament leading-scorer

Oct 24, 2021 | 5:43 PM

RED DEER, ALTA. – For the first time since 2017, British Columbia has claimed the WHL Cup championship, and they did so with Miguel Marques of Prince George being a major factor.

Marques and the rest of Team BC came out on top following a 5-2 victory over Alberta in the gold medal game Sunday at Peavey Mart Centrium.

This represents the third time in WHL Cup history that B.C. has risen to the top, having previously won the tournament in 2012 and 2017.

Through five tournament games, the 15-year-old Marques scored five goals and five assists, finishing as the tournament’s leading scorer with 10 points. He also had a four-point performance (1 goal, 3 assists) in the 9-2 semifinal win over Saskatchewan for Team BC that put them in Sunday’s gold medal game.

While the outcome reads 5-2 for the championship game, this was a much closer game than the final score indicated, with B.C. adding two empty-net insurance markers in the final 60 seconds of regulation to pad a 3-2 lead.

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Chetwynd product Cayden Lindstrom came through at the right time with his first goal of the 2021 WHL Cup, striking 4:35 into the third period to B.C. a 3-1 advantage. Lindstrom’s marker went on to stand as the eventual game-winner as Alberta made it a one-goal game less than 10 minutes later. Garrett Thom converted while shorthanded to register his third goal of the tournament and make it 3-2. Thom, a product of Edmonton, also provided an assist to finish the day with two points (1 goal, 1 assist) for Alberta.

Aside from Lindstrom, B.C. received second-period scoring from Hiroki Gojsic, who notched his fourth goal of the tournament, and William McIssac, who found the back of the net for the first time.

Alberta’s first goal of the day came courtesy Gavin Garland’s third strike of the week.

Thanks to an empty-net goal, North Vancouver’s Carson Wetsch (1 goal, 1 assist) enjoyed a multi-point afternoon for Team B.C.

In net, Kamloops product Jesse Sanche made 30 saves to secure the gold medal for B.C.

Marque was joined by teammates Jordan Gavin and Tomas Mrsic as tournament All-Stars, claiming each forward spot. Gavin (4 goals, 5 assists) and Mrsic (4 goals, 5 assists) finished the tournament having the second and third most points behind Marques’ tournament-leading 10.