The final game of the round robin had as high of stakes as you could get. The OHL champion London Knights were stacked up against a strong rival in the form of the hosts, the Saginaw Spirit, the only team to challenge them at all during the OHL playoffs. On the line was an automatic berth to the finals without need to participate in the semis against the Moose Jaw Warriors on Friday and a bit of an additional layover before the last hurdle for junior hockey’s greatest prize, the Memorial Cup. This was about as high tension of a preliminary round game as you could ever get, taking place between two unbeaten squads in the tournament that were arguably the best two teams across the entire CHL this season. There was a bit of a festive and “pomp and circumstance” feeling during the opening ceremonies, which current NHLers/Saginaw Spirit alumni Owen Tippett (currently of the Philadelphia Flyers) and Cole Perfetti (Winnipeg Jets) participated in. However, the good vibes were quicky replaced by high stakes.

A noteworthy early event came when London had a strong possession wherein C/RW Kaleb Lawrence (Los Angeles Kings) had a strong shot that was stopped by Saginaw G Andrew Oke, who then saved and tied up the rebound shot attempt by London D Jackson Edward (Boston Bruins). The ensuing scrum sent both Lawrence and Saginaw D/captain Braden Hache (drafted in 2021 by Florida Panthers, left unsigned) to the box on matching minor penalties for roughing at the 6:29 mark. The ensuing four-on-four didn’t yield a goal for either side, but shortly thereafter, the home team’s strengths would shine through. The early goings were defined greatly by Saginaw’s strong forecheck, which helped them have a possession advantage and challenged London G Michael Simpson often. They would also play effectively in front of the net. These two factors combined in their first goal of the game, which came from winning a puck battle and having a strong net-front presence in front of Simpson. It was not without controversy, however, as RW Alex Christopoulos did appear to kick the puck into the net. However, the automatic review upheld the goal as good, without the possibility of a challenge from London head coach Dale Hunter (as the rules are limited and only permit a coach’s challenge for goaltender interference), with the Spirit therefore taking the first lead of the game. LW Josh Bloom (Vancouver Canucks) and D Jorian Donovan (Ottawa Senators) were credited with the assists. This definitely was not the way London wanted things to start. Ultimately, though, Saginaw D Zayne Parekh (2024 Draft eligible) would inadvertently send things in the wrong direction for his club after they took the lead. While perhaps attempting to counter incoming contact, his stick came into arguably reckless contact with the face of London C/W Max McCue (Columbus Blue Jackets) and it resulted in a double minor for high sticking. The Knights would get one goal on this, with RW Kasper Halttunen (San Jose Sharks) maintaining his excellent postseason goalscoring form with a toe drag and slick wrist shot to beat Oke and draw the score level. C/RW Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs) would get the credit for the primary apple, while C/LW Denver Barkey (Philadelphia Flyers) earned the secondary assist. Though outplayed at some junctures, the Knights were so prolific on the man advantage and in the times where play opened up for them that they finished the first frame up 15-7 in shots on goal, with the score knotted up at 1.

The second period was defined by Saginaw showing the exact same strengths in the opening minutes that they did in the earliest stages of the game. They took away significant neutral zone space and forced turnovers which converted to a number of rush chances, with Christopoulos and LW Joey Willis (Nashville Predators) having a couple of noteworthy shots each of this nature. Simpson was very much put to the test in this frame, both in the early phases and throughout. However, the first goal of the stanza would be scored when D Isaiah George intercepted a stretch pass and got it up to Halttunen on the left wing, who then found Barkey on the doorstep with a slick backhanded pass which the soon-to-be Flyer finished to make it 2-1 London at the 10:40 mark. A few minutes later, the Spirit would have an answer, as Parekh would keep the puck in the offensive zone, absorb contact, and get the puck to Willis inside the circle who found a tight space on the inside post and put the puck there, beating Simpson and striking the roof of the net to tie the game back up. The matchup in this twenty minute span was intense and featured plenty of hits in a manner suited to a rivalry game on a big stage, but did not feature any penalties in a remarkable showing of discipline by both teams after Saginaw got into some penalty trouble in the first frame and both teams played with some edge to them as you would expect. Though London played a somewhat conservative game at times to not force anything and possibly make mistakes, it was clear that Saginaw were also clinical and the more dominant team in the middle frame. The SOG total reflected this accurately with Saginaw having a 15-8 edge in the middle twenty minutes. A tie game between strong teams who became VERY familiar with one another this season (with this being their 11th matchup between them combined between regular season and postseason this year) had the shots on goal total at 23-22 in favor of London after forty minutes.

The third period was very low-event throughout most of the proceedings and included the teams working their transition game well, but their possessions were basically empty calories, either going one-and-done or not getting a shot on goal at all. A couple of noteworthy chances that served as exceptions to this pattern included a solid look on Oke by Cowan as he rifled a hard wrister on him from the slot, but was denied, as well as a Saginaw possession wherein Bloom unleashed a blast that Simpson stopped before subsequently denying RW Nic Sima in quick succession. The teams played pretty low-risk hockey due to the circumstances at hand and yet again did not register any PIMs. The game would not be removed from limbo until the puck was chipped in from the edge of the neural zone along the boards by D Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia Flyers) to C Sam O’Reilly (2024 Draft eligible), who then found Cowan with a backhand pass and the Toronto prospect had an outstanding release to beat Oke and take a 3-2 lead for the Knights at the 18:35 mark. Saginaw head coach Chris Lazary called timeout to gather the group and draw up an empty-net play. After Oke was pulled, the Saginaw cycle looked pretty solid, but the shot attempt made by C/RW Hunter Haight (Minnesota Wild) would go off the stick of London RW Ruslan Gazizov (2024 Draft eligible) and out of play. Cowan would scoop up the loose puck on the ensuing draw and take it to the house, with O’Reilly having made enough of a touch on the puck to be credited for the assist. This would ice the game and clinch London’s spot in the finals, marking their first appearance in the last stage of the big dance since 2016. For his 2 goals, 1 assist, and +2, Cowan would be awarded Player of the Game, having shown up when the lights were on him yet again in his incredible D+1 season.

The focus now shifts on whether or not the Knights will build upon their already remarkable dynastic legacy. Today was the 19th anniversary of their first ever Memorial Cup victory (the Team of the Century finishing the job in 2005) and the 8th of their most recent (the 2016 squad, an impressive group in their own right headlined by Christian Dvorak, Mitch Marner, and Matthew Tkachuk and further featuring the likes of Evan Bouchard and Robert Thomas). They did a job on an important historical day on the calendar for them. Tonight’s victory also marked Dale Hunter’s tie with Ottawa 67’s icon Brian Kilrea for the most victories at the Memorial Cup, as well as second-most overall all-time (13) behind WHL legend Don Hay. Is a third trophy and another record in their future? Meanwhile, of the first-timers, which one will they face: WHL champs Moose Jaw or the familiar face in Saginaw? Friday and Sunday will provide us with yet more excitement and quality hockey, no doubt about it.