There is a ton on the line for each team heading into their final round-robin games at the Memorial Cup. It was almost as if the powers that be knew how things would go early on, and they set things up for a perfect pair of final games [https://thehockeynews.com/qmjhl/latest-news/why-is-the-qmjhl-struggling-so-far-at-the-2025-memorial-cup]. Here’s what’s happened for each team so far, what’s at stake and how the final two round-robin games could set up the playoffs. LONDON KNIGHTS VS. MEDICINE HAT TIGERS May 27, 7 p.m. ET The London Knights and Medicine Hat Tigers took care of business against the two QMJHL squads in the Memorial Cup, so their matchup is set to determine who gets the first seed in the round-robin, granting them a trip straight to the final. The Knights played in the only overtime game of the tournament [https://thehockeynews.com/ohl/latest-news/oilers-prospects-wins-opening-memorial-cup-match-in-ot], a matchup against the Moncton Wildcats, where they seemed to be in control for much of the game. They outshot the Wildcats 48-29, but it took until the extra frame for Sam O’Reilly to deflect in a beautiful pass from Easton Cowan for the game-winner. The game against the Rimouski Oceanic had nearly as much tension, with Jacob Julien scoring the game-winner with about five minutes to go [https://thehockeynews.com/ohl/latest-news/big-third-period-powers-knights-past-oceanic] in the third to break a 1-1 tie. Not only did the win move the Knights to 2-0 at the Memorial Cup, but it also made Dale Hunter the winningest coach in Memorial Cup history. Gavin McKenna, Oasiz Wiesblatt and Ryder Ritchie (Vincent Ethier / CHL) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/25dbf1cc-5af0-404b-81f8-fcc42827257f.jpeg] Gavin McKenna, Oasiz Wiesblatt and Ryder Ritchie (Vincent Ethier / CHL) Medicine Hat also had a couple of tight games. In their opener against Rimouski [https://thehockeynews.com/whl/game-day/hunter-st-martin-calls-game-tigers-open-2025-memorial-cup-with-victory], each team took the lead multiple times before Hunter St-Martin scored with under three minutes to play in the third to give Medicine Hat the 5-4 victory. Their game against Moncton was more in control despite being a lower-scoring contest. After Ryder Ritchie scored two goals [https://thehockeynews.com/whl/game-day/ryder-ritchie-pots-two-leads-tigers-to-second-2025-memorial-cup-round-robin-victory] to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead midway through the second period, the Wildcats pulled within one goal just 31 seconds into the third. As Moncton pushed late in the game, Gavin McKenna sent a puck all the way down the ice, off the post and into the empty net to seal the game. Now, the two teams that most would have expected to be fighting for the top seed will go head to head to determine first place. A bye into the final would give each team a bit of rest, but even with the break last year, London fell to the Saginaw Spirit in the 2024 final. The Knights will look to make the final in back-to-back years with a better result this time, while the Tigers aim to reach their first final since 2007 and win their first Memorial Cup since 1988. MONCTON WILDCATS VS. RIMOUSKI OCEANIC May 28, 7 p.m. ET It’s do-or-die time for the two QMJHL [https://thehockeynews.com/qmjhl] squads at the Memorial Cup. It will be a rematch of the QMJHL final, where the Wildcats won the series 4-2 in a matchup of two legitimately solid contenders. The winner of this game will head to the semifinal to face the loser of the London and Medicine Hat game, while the loser of the QMJHL matchup will see their year come to an end. Moncton got excellent play in net from Mathis Rousseau, putting together 38- and 45-save performances in his two games thus far. He will likely be the X-factor against Rimouski as well. Why Is The QMJHL Struggling So Far At The 2025 Memorial Cup? [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/1bbe6f86-1d59-4e5d-acd2-b1d7706e9ba0.webp] Why Is The QMJHL Struggling So Far At The 2025 Memorial Cup? Even though the QMJHL is often referred to as the little brother league of the CHL for it's recent dry spell of high end NHL draft talents, the QMJHL has always seemed to find a way at the Memorial Cup. [https://thehockeynews.com/qmjhl/latest-news/why-is-the-qmjhl-struggling-so-far-at-the-2025-memorial-cup] The Wildcats’ leading scorer in the regular season and playoffs, Caleb Desnoyers [https://thehockeynews.com/qmjhl/latest-news/three-qmjhl-rank-on-the-hockey-news-top-64-nhl-draft-final-list], is on a five-game points drought dating back to the QMJHL final [https://thehockeynews.com/qmjhl/latest-news/wildcats-win-qmjhl-championship-beat-memorial-cup-hosts-oceanic-in-six], so he’s due to break out, and there would be no better time than in a win-or-go-home game against a familiar foe. Rimouski is on its last legs as the tournament hosts, and the Oceanic have yet to give their fans something to really cheer about. They need goalie Mathis Langevin to step up and steal a game and have someone put up a massive offensive performance. They showed they can beat Moncton, but they’ll need a big game. This game is the final of the round-robin, and with so much on the line, it will be must-watch TV. The QMJHL showdown is sure to have some fireworks. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
