Two years since the DuFOUR game

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Edmonton Oilers' 3-0 series comeback in the Stanley Cup Final came up short against the Florida Panthers on Monday night.

One comeback that didn't come up short? The Saint John Sea Dogs erasing a three-goal first period deficit at the 2022 Memorial Cup and defeating the rival Shawinigan Cataractes 5-3, earning them a bye to the tournament final. 

Tuesday marks the two-year anniversary of the game, one of the greatest in team history. The comeback was highlighted by William Dufour netting four goals, one of the top single game performances in Memorial Cup history.

Dufour netted a natural hat trick in the second period to tie the game. The now 22-year-old forward, who was the Memorial Cup MVP and leading scorer, had a remarkable 15 shots in the game.

"After the first period we just talked to ourselves in the locker room," Dufour said after the game. "After killing the penalty, the breakaway, I said no, I won't miss more chances like that. I can't. I buried one right after, almost on the penalty kill, and then right after on a faceoff. It was just amazing with the crowd and everything it was just, wow."

William Dufour was the ⭐️ Saturday as he powered the @SJSeaDogs to the final of the 2022 #MemorialCup presented by @KiaCanada after a FOUR-goal performance! pic.twitter.com/UNMdWWTMuX

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) June 26, 2022

"It's pretty special wasn't it," Sea Dogs head coach Gardiner MacDougall said of Dufour's performance.

"You go with your horses and he's a big horse. A magic second period for him. That was outstanding. When your top guys buy in - look at shot blocks or penalty kills - he's grown as a player and he's grown as a teammate because he's becoming a real leader for our team. We had a lot of top players tonight, but when your lead horse is in the front of the group, everyone is following. It was special to see that's for sure and I'm sure his mom will be very, very proud tonight."

Showered with ♥️#MemorialCup pic.twitter.com/yXPjjMewmk

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) June 26, 2022

This was also the game that featured MacDougall's infamous "Lady Mo" quote after the game, which the Sea Dogs honoured during the 2022-23 season.

"We all have special ladies in our lives, our grandmothers, our mothers, our wives, I have a daughter, I have sisters, but the key to success tonight was a lady called Lady Mo. Ms. Lady Momentum. Sometimes she’s hard to find and you don’t know how long she’s going to stay with you. We’re lucky tonight that we found her and she stayed with us for a while."

📱 Gardiner with the important incoming call 😂#MemorialCup pic.twitter.com/CIR84HWgS3

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) June 26, 2022

At the 2023 Sea Dogs Hall of Fame ceremony, MacDougall spoke a bit about this game, noting that, during the first intermission, he called out the team's defense and goaltender Nikolas Hurtubise for the third goal they allowed. MacDougall opted to keep Hurtubise in goal for a chance to redeem himself — and the netminder stopped all 14 shots he faced in the final two periods.

This would have been an all-time great Sea Dogs game no matter where it was played or who was it against. But the fact that it came on home ice and against Shawinigan made it all the more memorable.

One of the loudest moments I’ve heard at TD. pic.twitter.com/JhRBGiXpXN

— Jamie Tozer (@station_nation) June 26, 2022