Sens prospect Jorian Donovan helped set up the winning goal with 22 seconds left to give the Saginaw Spirit the Memorial Cup.
Sunday's night Memorial Cup Final is one that Ottawa Senators prospect Jorian Donovan will remember for the rest of his life.
Not only did the Saginaw Spirit defenceman win a national championship, he helped author a wild game-winning goal in the final minute.
With 22 seconds left in a 3-3 game against the London Knights, Donovan caught a puck over his head at the offensive blue line, flung it to his right to help beat his man, and then somehow got a shot on net through two sprawling London defenders.
After the puck rattled around for a second or two in a pile of bodies, it appeared for just a moment and Josh Bloom crammed it home for the Memorial Cup winner.
Donovan was asked after the game about what he saw on the game-winner.
"Nothing, I don't even remember it," Donovan told CHL.com. "I saw like 30 guys in front of the net. I just threw it there, said a prayer, and hey, Bloomer put it in!"
Last month, the Knights had knocked the Spirit out of the OHL Playoffs. And in the Memorial Cup Final, they looked like they were planning to break some Michigan hearts again, rallying from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game.
But revenge, as they say, is a dish best-served cold. And on Sunday night, Donovan was the head waiter.
Donovan is turning out to be a draft steal for the Senators who chose him in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Draft. As with so many others in the organization, he's the son of a former NHL player. His father is ex-Senator Shean Donovan, one of Ottawa's player development coaches (although rumours continue to swirl that changes may be coming in that department).
This was Jorian's second Memorial Cup appearance in three seasons. He also got to the tournament with the 2022 Hamilton Bulldogs, the OHL club owned by Senators' owner Michael Andlauer.
So, how did it feel to win it all this time?
"Yeah, no, it's unbelievable," Donovan said. "I can't even put it into words: you come in with a group of guys like this, brothers for life, you win a trophy; there's nothing better than that."
As for his future with the Senators, raising the Memorial Cup trophy can't help but raise his NHL stock.