Memorial Cup: What we learned

The Memorial Cup, a four-team round-robin tournament to determine the champion of the Canadian Hockey League, features the winners of the Ontario Hockey League (Hamilton Bulldogs), Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (Acadie-Bathurst Titan) and Western Hockey League (Swift Current Broncos), and the host Regina Pats of the WHL. The event is being held at Brandt Center in Regina, Saskatchewan from May 18-27, and features several NHL-drafted prospects and some eligible for the 2018 NHL Draft.
In the third game of the Memorial Cup, Acadie-Bathurst defeated Regina 8-6 on Sunday.

Here are three things we learned on the third day:

1. Comeback falls short

Regina scored four unanswered goals on 14 shots in the third period to pull within 7-6 before defenseman Noah Dobson's empty-net goal at 19:59 clinched the victory for Acadie-Bathurst.
Acadie-Bathurst, which never has won the Memorial Cup, is unbeaten after two games and will play Hamilton on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, SN360). Goaltender Evan Fitzpatrick, a second-round pick (No. 59) by the St. Louis Blues in the 2016 NHL Draft, made 32 saves for his second straight Memorial Cup tournament win.
Regina goalie Max Paddock, No. 22 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American goaltenders for the 2018 NHL Draft, was replaced by Ryan Kubic to begin the third period after allowing six goals on 32 shots. Regina outshot Acadie-Bathurst 14-5 in the third.

2. Dobson continues to impress

Dobson, No. 5 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, had two goals, two assists and seven shots on goal.
Dobson, who has five points (two goals, three assists) in two games, scored his first goal of the tournament at 4:31 of the first period when he knocked in a rebound from the slot to tie the game 1-1. The right-handed shot finished tied for second among QMJHL defenseman with 69 points (17 goals, 52 assists) in 67 regular-season games.
"It's hard to believe [Dobson's] only 18, honestly," Acadie-Bathurst captain Jeffrey Truchon Viel told Sportsnet.ca. "I've been playing with him for two years now. He's so mature, how he acts, how he prepares himself for a game or even for a practice. It's just great to have him around; he's a great leader for us."

3. Tough as Steel

Center Sam Steel, selected by the Anaheim Ducks with the No. 30 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, had four assists, including three in the third period, for Regina.
The Pats captain, who finished 21-for-31 on face-offs, had 83 points (33 goals, 50 assists) and a 57.8 winning percentage on face-offs in 54 regular-season games (658-for-1,139). He also led Regina with 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in seven WHL playoff games. Regina lost 3-2 to Swift Current in Game 7 of the first round of the WHL playoffs April 2.
Steel, who has six points (one goal, five assists) in two tournament games, was signed to an entry-level contract by the Ducks on Dec. 20, 2016.

2018 Memorial Cup schedule

May 18: Regina 3, Hamilton 2
May 19: Acadie-Bathurst 4, Swift Current 3 (OT)
May 20: Acadie-Bathurst 8, Regina 6
May 21: Swift Current vs. Hamilton (8 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS2)
May 22: Acadie-Bathurst vs. Hamilton (10 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, SN360, TVAS)
May 23: Regina vs. Swift Current (10 p.m. ET; SN, SN360, TVAS)
May 24: Tiebreaker, if necessary (8 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS)
May 25: Semifinal (10 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS)
May 27: Final (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS)