Rangers drawing support from unlikely places during Memorial Cup run

Some people cheering for the Kitchener Rangers at the Memorial Cup raised some eyebrows. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte explained why.

The Kitchener Rangers’ Memorial Cup run is creating memorable moments both on and off the ice, as longtime supporters and new fans rally behind the Ontario Hockey League club ahead of Sunday’s championship game.

Among those cheering the loudest in Kelowna is Harrison Yoshy, a young member of the Kitchener Junior Rangers U10 AAA team who has been battling a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer.

The Rangers have supported Harrison throughout the season, and this week he made the trip west to watch the team compete for a Memorial Cup title in person.

“It has meant the world to us,” Harrison’s mother, Simonne Marchesseau, told TSN. “To see thousands of people standing behind him, it’s given him power and strength and it’s helping him heal. There’s just been so much love.”

Harrison said some of his favourite Rangers players include Matthew Andonovski, Cameron Reid and Sam O’Reilly.

The Rangers’ playoff run has also attracted some unexpected supporters.

After forwards Sam O’Reilly and Jared Woolley were traded from the rival London Knights to Kitchener earlier this season, some London fans have started cheering for the Rangers during the Memorial Cup.

A pair of fans attending games in Kelowna even created split Rangers-Knights jerseys to support both teams.

“When O’Reilly and Woolley were coming, my buddy Clint told me we needed to get half and half jerseys,” fan Scott Coulter said. “I made some calls, picked the Kitchener jerseys up last Tuesday, got the Knights jerseys then had my buddy Curt Collins Formal Wear put them together.”

Kitchener advanced to the championship game after goaltender Christian Kirsch recorded a shutout, becoming the first import goalie in Canadian Hockey League history to post a shutout at the Memorial Cup.

The Rangers have now reached a record-breaking seven Memorial Cup finals, advancing to the championship game in every Memorial Cup appearance in franchise history.

The championship game is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET on Sunday. However, the start time could be pushed back to 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET depending on scheduling involving the Montreal Canadiens.

A watch party is being planned at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, although officials say it could be cancelled if the game is delayed.

Additional watch parties are planned at Four Fathers Brewing, Moose Winooski’s, Jack Astor’s Kitchener and Boston Pizza Bingemans.