Champs! London Knights win third Memorial Cup in last 20 years

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RIMOUSKI, Que – They lastly wrote their storybook ending.

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The London Knights transformed final yr’s Memorial Cup heartbreak into the last word comeback story by scoring the sport’s first 4 objectives in a 4-1 victory over Medication Hat to say the Canadian Hockey League’s greatest prize earlier than 4,512 Sunday at Solar Life Monetary Coliseum.

They shrugged off an early push from the well-rested and beforehand unbeaten Tigers, then held them off throughout a livid end. You want your greatest gamers to rise to the event and, after a dud a yr in the past at Saginaw, London received that and extra right here in wet Rimouski.

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The OHL champs received their record-tying third Cup title of their fifth journey to the ultimate within the final 20 years. Their coach Dale Hunter equalled Don Hay as the one two bench bosses with three CHL crowns.

Hunter has three Cups, 1,000 main junior wins, 5 OHL titles and world junior gold to his credit score. That’s a Corridor of Fame resume and, at some point, the committee ought to acknowledge his contribution to the sport.

The Knights had been prepared for something. They didn’t let any missed name or lapse in momentum hassle them. They had been the perfect crew in junior hockey this yr and proved it when it mattered most.

“It’s a tricky event,” London defenceman Sam Dickinson mentioned. “It’s one sport. You by no means know what can occur going into it. I consider final yr and the way the sport went from the flat begin to the comeback to 22 seconds left. You possibly can’t have any thought of what’s going to occur on the market.”

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The Tigers’ greatest participant, Gavin McKenna, received the Western champs on the board within the third interval. However a second objective by the wunderkind was referred to as again due to a missed excessive stick to 5:30 left in regulation.

It was a break for the Knights they usually shut it down from there.

THE TWINS: Dale Hunter reunited Easton Cowan and Denver Barkey – nicknamed the ‘Twins’ – and it became a grasp stroke.

Barkey scored twice within the decisive second interval and Cowan had one other as London constructed the four-goal lead. Cowan ought to have had two, as nicely, within the center body however one was snuffed out on a goalie interference name towards linemate Sam O’Reilly.

The muse of the Knights’ three-year run of success began with the drafting of Barkey, Cowan and Oliver Bonk in 2021. As soon as they added Sam Dickinson to the combination the next season, they had been on their manner.

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And Sunday, they completed the job.

EXTRA GAME: The Tigers needed to kill a number of time.

The Knights brass and 12 of their gamers know that drill. They went by it final yr whereas hanging out in Frankenmuth close to Saginaw earlier than the ultimate final yr.

“It’s a distinct manner to have a look at it,” Dickinson mentioned. “We received one other sport beneath our belts and a bit extra time to get again within the groove of issues. I positively assume our legs are a bit extra recent so we’ll see how that provides up.”

The Tigers, at occasions, appeared sluggish. That four-day relaxation, at occasions, provides as much as a drawback.

AROUND THE RINK: London goaltender Austin Elliott’s ultimate win-loss report? He was 55-3 in his final junior season. We received’t see that once more for a very long time, if ever . . . This was London’s first time dealing with a Western league crew within the Cup ultimate. The OHL champs confronted a fellow OHL crew as soon as (Saginaw final yr) and three QMJHL groups (Rimouski in 2005, Shawinigan in 2012 and Rouyn-Noranda in 2016). It was the primary OHL-WHL ultimate since Oshawa beat Kelowna, which featured Leon Draisaitl, in 2015 at Quebec Metropolis . . . Kasper Halttunen entered the ultimate with factors in all eight of his event video games over the previous two years . . . Cowan entered the ultimate one level shy of his childhood idol Mitch Marner’s franchise report 15 factors in Cup play and matched it within the second interval . . . The Knights had the worst dressing room setup on the Coliseum all week. They needed to stroll by the ice resurfacing entrance to get to it . . . Dickinson mentioned a number of of the Knights from final yr had texted the present roster to complete the job. They needed them to win so badly. Often, a number of grads make their option to the championship sport however Rimouski isn’t the simplest place to get to from London. They received the job accomplished for them . . . Londoner Jacob Julien, the Jets prospect, performed his greatest hockey of the season at this event . . . Knights agitator Ryder Boulton was scheduled to take part in warmup however didn’t and was a scratch for the ultimate. He was suspended for the semifinal towards Moncton for a warmup violation dedicated the final time London confronted Medication Hat . . . Earlier within the day, Medication Hat star defenceman Tanner Molendyk described London as the perfect crew he had confronted all yr. “They’ve a number of ability however when a crew works laborious and has ability, it’s one of many hardest issues to beat,” the Predators first-rounder mentioned. He felt it and the remainder of the hockey world noticed it up shut this week.

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MEMORIAL CUP FINAL

Knights 4, Tigers 1London objectives: Denver Barkey (2), Jacob Julien, Easton CowanMedicine Hat objective: Gavin McKenna

Sunday at Solar Life Monetary Coliseum

Knights 4, Tigers 1

First period1., London, Julien 2 (Brzustewicz, Dickinson) 11:21Penalties – None.

Second period2. London, Cowan 3 (O’Reilly, Dickinson) 3:133. London, Barkey 2 (Dickinson) 4:534. London, Barkey 3 (unassisted) 12:08 (pp)Penalties – Lindstrom, MH (high-sticking) 10:42, Nicholl, Ldn (tripping) 13:01, Woolley, Ldn (cross-checking) 17:01, Lindstrom, MH (faceoff violation) 17:01.

Third period5. Medication Hat, McKenna 3 (Vaisanen, Molendyk) 2:43Penalties – Cowan, Ldn (high-sticking) 6:54, Wiesblatt, Ldn (high-sticking) 7:31.

Pictures on objective byLdn 12 9 3–24MH 11 17 4–32

Energy performs: Ldn 1-2. MH 0-2.

Goalies: Elliott, Ldn (W, 4-1). Meneghin, MH (L, 3-1).

Referees – Nicolas Leduc, Taylor Burzminski. Strains – Nicolas Boivin, Spencer Knox.

Attendance – 4,512

Learn Extra

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Memorial Cup notes: Desjardins’ magic; Knights’ drought; PEI pig race

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