The last dance is here. The Memorial Cup Final will feature a rivalry that has been going on all season long, the London Knights vs. the Saginaw Spirit.
The last dance is here. The Memorial Cup Final will feature a rivalry that has been going on all season long, the London Knights vs. the Saginaw Spirit.
This is the last dance. The grand stage of the Memorial Cup Final is set, and it will feature an all-OHL rivalry that has been going on all season long. They have played each other many times this season, with games going both ways, but they will play one final game.
The London Knights will take on the Saginaw Spirit in the Memorial Cup Final.
London has taken more wins in this entire season series, but the slate is cleared heading into tonight's game. Both teams have tirelessly studied their opponents strategies, structures, and tactics. London and Saginaw may be getting sick of one another, but this is the most important game of them all.
Going back to the Western Conference Finals in the OHL Playoffs, the Saginaw Spirit took on the London Knights, where Saginaw lost in six games. Saginaw has been the only team to push the OHL Champions to their brink this season, as not many other teams have been able to contend with London.
In the final round robin game of the Memorial Cup, the Knights took the win in the last two minutes against the Spirit. Easton Cowan was the player that stepped up, sending his team to the finals and sending the Spirit to the semi-final game.
In the semi-final game against the Moose Jaw Warriors, the Spirit showcased some hidden weapons as their 4th line contributed four of the team's seven goals. Ethan Hay, Sebastian Gervais, and Lincoln Moore had an extra step in that game, and they will look to make a similar contribution against the Knights.
Saginaw's biggest strength is their depth, we've been saying it all season long. They have NHL prospects on all four forward lines, and they seem to get different players to step up in each game. Tonight, everyone will be looking to step up in the Memorial Cup final.
The Spirit's defence core continues to be a contributor in each game, as Zayne Parekh, Jorian Donovan, Rodwin Dionicio, and Braden Hache have all stepped up in this tournament. Getting offence from the blue line adds a layer to Saginaw's play style, as a lot of their top-offensive drivers play on the back-end.
For the London Knights, their edge over Saginaw comes in the goal crease. Michael Simpson has been outstanding through three round robin games at the Memorial Cup. He is going to want to complete his "revenge tour" with a win in tonight's game, as he had a disappointing performance in this tournament last year with Peterborough.
The twins — Easton Cowan and Denver Barkey — have been dominant per-usual, and it is safe to assume that they will be a factor in tonight's game. Cowan stole the game with the game-winning goal against Saginaw in the game that sent them to the finals, and he continues to speak about his confidence playing on the big stage.
This will be the hardest-fought battle of the season between two of the OHL's top teams, and it is the perfect ending to a thrilling OHL season. The OHL continues to prove that they sit at the top among junior development leagues, as both teams were able to beat out their WHL and QMJHL counterparts to earn their spots in the final.
You couldn't tee up a better matchup to end the season, and both London and Saginaw will head in with that "leave it all out on the ice" mentality.