Islanders Prospect Dufour, Sea Dogs Upset Bulldogs to kick off Memorial Cup

New York Islanders 2020 fifth-round pick, William Dufour, had a historic season etching his name in the QMJHL record books. The 20-year-old winger brought home the honor of being named the 2022 Michel-Briére Trophy as MVP of the QMJHL after a 116-point season for the St. John Sea Dogs breaking Jonathan Huberdeau's previous franchise record of 105-points in the 2010-11 season.

Dufour and the Sea Dogs didn't get it done in the postseason after facing elimination in a series against the Rimouski Océanic. Dufour tallied two goals and two assists in five games. The Sea Dogs had a chance at redemption last night as they host the 2022 Memorial Cup giving them an automatic bid into the tournament, facing off against the Hamilton Bulldogs last night in a dog vs. dog matchup.

Headed into the opening round of the round-robin tournament, the Sea Dogs have been pegged as the underdog of the tournament. To the surprise of many, St. Johns overcame the Bulldogs, 2022 OHL Champions, in a 5-3 victory to score the upset.

Dufour continued his historic year scoring the third of five goals by the the Sea Dog's in the 5-3 victory:

It was a 38-day off period between games for the Sea Dogs who came into last night's contest with fresh legs compared to the Bulldogs who just captured the OHL Championship on June 15th, and St. John's knew how to take advantage:

"We wanted to go hard in the first five minutes, and that’s what we did. We played a pretty good game. We played against a really good team. We work our ass off, and it’s nice so…but tomorrow is going to be a different day, but we are proud tonight."

- William Dufour

The Sea Dogs will have another hill to climb as they continue their redemption tour after elimination from the QMJHL playoffs, facing off against the WHL Champions, Edmonton Oil Kings, on Wednesday, June 22 at 7 PM.