CALGARY (CBC) - What appeared to be a cakewalk for the host Kitchener Rangers turned into a nailbiter in the opening game of the 2008 Memorial Cup, but Justin Azevedo delighted the home fans with the 6-5 overtime winner over the Gatineau Olympiques.

Azevedo, the Ontario Hockey League's leading scorer and playoff MVP, scored a power-play goal past a screened Ryan Mior at 6:59 of overtime at Memorial Auditorium in Kitchener, Ont. Azevedo contributed three assists earlier in the game.

"We got a break," Azevedo said. "It's an unbelievable feeling especially in overtime.

"Game 1, you don't want to go into overtime, but we got the win and that was crucial. A win's a win in this tournament."

Mior was heroic in defeat, finishing with 47 saves.

Kitchener raced out to a 3-0 lead in under 12 minutes, and was ahead 5-2 late the second, but the Olympiques fought back. Darryl Smith, who also had two assists, began the comeback with a deflection goal in the second, with Nicholas Mayer and Alexandre Quesnel scoring in the third.

"It was a good test for us coming into the host team's building and the crowd was wild," Smith said. "It shows how much character we have to come back from getting down so early.

"I don't know if it was nerves, but we just weren't ready to play."

Matt Halischuk had two goals for Kitchener, with Jason Akeson, Nick Spaling and Mikkel Boedker also scoring.

Michael Stinziani had a goal and two assists for the Quebec champs, with Paul Byron also finding the mark.

Gatineau, winners of 16 of its last 19 games to enter the tournament, hurt its chance at a stunning comeback with a penalty for too many men on the ice in overtime.

Kitchener is looking for a third Memorial Cup win, having won in 1982 and 2003. The Olympiques won in 1997 when the franchise was located in Hull.

The tournament continues Saturday afternoon as the Ontario runner-up Belleville Bulls face the Western champion Spokane Chiefs.

The opening game appeared like it was going to be a nightlong party as the Rangers stormed out of the gate.

Akeson got his first of the season, digging out a puck from the corner and firing a shot from the left face-off circle for a 1-0 lead at the 6:17 mark. Less than two minutes later, Nashville draft pick Spaling scored on a shot Mior likely would want back, the puck squeezing past his blocker.

Kitchener began to pour it on, with Halischuk pouncing on a loose puck from a botched 2-on-1 for a 3-0 lead at 11:57.

Beleaguered Mior faced 22 shots in the first frame, but his saves were crucial as Gatineau clawed back with a pair of goals in a 2:27 span before the end of the period.

Stinziani got the first from the slot, taking Smith's pass from behind the Kitchener net, with Rangers goalie Josh Unice kicking out a shot right to the stick of Buffalo Sabres draft pick Byron for the 3-2 goal.

Unice has taken over the Rangers' No. 1 job after Canadian world junior starter Steve Mason had knee surgery last month.

Kitchener connected on a power play early in the second as Azevedo dished a backhand pass to Boedker, who some hockey observers believe will be be selected in the Top 10 of the NHL entry draft in June.

Aggressive forechecking led to the fifth goal for the Rangers, at nearly exactly the midway point of the game. Halischuk, who scored the winning overtime goal for Canada at the world junior championships, was again the beneficiary of Azevedo's playmaking.

Smith brought his team to within two goals, and the third was a wild period, featuring the Gatineau comeback and several hits legal and otherwise that left players reeling.

The worst-looking was a leg-on-leg hit that had Boedker limping, but the young Dane would return to the game.

Olympiques star and Philadelphia Flyers prospect Claude Giroux set up the tying goal with a beautiful no-look pass to Quesnel.

Both teams had great chances to end it in the extra period. Halischuk pounced on a face-off win in overtime but was denied a game-winning hat trick goal by the left pad of Mior. At the other end, Joey Ryan hit the bar behind Unice.

Nazem Kadri skated in on a break but was denied by Mior moments before Azevedo's winner. Spaling, who also had two assists, completely screened Mior on the play.

Unice finished with 23 saves for the winners.

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