Bridgewater’s Luke Woodworth leading Voltigeurs at the Memorial Cup

Luke Woodworth will be leading the Drummondville Voltigeurs as they begin the Memorial Cup Tournament starting this Friday.

The tournament, held in Saginaw, Mich., which takes place yearly features the best teams from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Western Hockey League (WHL), and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) of the Canadian Hockey League.

“It’s exciting when you get to a tournament like this with the best teams in the country, so we are excited to prove what we can do,” Woodworth said in an interview with CityNews Halifax.

Woodworth, who is captain, says not many players from the Bridgewater area have made it to the QMJHL and he feels a lot of encouragement from the community.

“I’ve had so much support, not just over this year but all four years I’ve been (in Drummondville), just so much support from the community,” Woodworth said. “I bring a lot of pride being from Bridgewater, being from the South Shore so it’s special.”

Drummondville had something to prove coming into this season after three straight early-round playoff exits. This season, the Voltigeurs went 16-3 in the playoffs, capturing the QMJHL title with a sweep over the top-seeded Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

“There’s been some dark days here in Drummondville over the last couple of years,” Woodworth said. “Some might say this day would never happen, going to the Memorial Cup, but now that it’s happening it just makes it so much sweeter that we are able to relive those memories and make new ones in Saginaw.”

Drummondville opens up the tournament Sat. May 25 as they take on the OHL’s London Knights.

The Moose Jaw Warriors will represent the WHL at the tournament. The Saginaw Spirit will also take part as the host team.