It had been five years since the previous host team had won the Memorial Cup when the Windsor Spitfires were successful last season. The wait for the next host team to win the C-H-L title might not be nearly as long. The Regina Pats will have the crowd behind them as they take on the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the 2018 Memorial Cup final tonight. In Friday’s 4-2 semi-final victory over Hamilton, right winger Austin Pratt opened the scoring…his first goal since joining the Pats early in the season. Although Lakeville, Minnesota is listed as the 18-year-old’s home town, Pratt says the Memorial Cup final will be special to him.

“I dreamed about this ever since I was a little kid, I mean I watched the CHL all the way down in Iowa and in Minnesota, you know dreamed about this moment, My dad’s from Canada, grandpa fought in World War II. I mean, it definitely means more than just a game for me and my family so it’s going to be a really special day.”

It will be a very special Sunday evening for one of the two finalists. The Titan have never won a Memorial Cup while the last Regina team to hoist the trophy was in 1974.