The London Knights became just the sixth team in 40 years to get to back-to-back Memorial Cup championship games as they knocked off the Moncton Wildcats 5-2 on Friday, May 30 in the tournament’s semi-final.
Sam Dickinson slid a beautiful backhand pass to Blake Montgomery for a goal at 3:35 of the third period to break a 2-2 tie and put the Knights ahead to stay.
London got off to a great start with an early goal by Landon Sim who got to an Oliver Bonk shot that went wide and then wrapped it into the Wildcats net at 4:07 of the first period.
The Knights also outshot Moncton 18-5 in the opening period but a Caleb Desnoyers power play goal knotted the score at the 18:20 mark and the teams entered the second period tied.
Easton Cowan found Denver Barkey for Cowan’s team-leading fifth point of the Memorial Cup tournament and a 2-1 London lead at 5:24 of the second. The goal was Barkey’s since Game 2 of the second round of the OHL playoffs. Barkey missed seven straight games in the post-season due to a lower body injury.
The Wildcats came back again on a power play goal by defenceman Dyllan Gill just 2:16 after the Knights had gone ahead and the teams went into the final 20 minutes in a 2-2 tie which was exactly the same spot that they were in going back to their first meeting of the tournament.
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That game went to overtime.
This game didn’t need it.
After Montgomery’s early third period goal Jacob Julien won a faceoff forward, got to the puck and fed Jesse Nurmi for some insurance at 13:11.
London’s penalty kill had to go to work not once but twice but the Knights held Moncton to hardly a single chance and then Barkey got a puck to Cowan and he walked down the middle of the Wildcats zone and deposited the puck into an empty net to end the scoring.
Cowan and Barkey each had a goal and an assist. Julien had a pair of assists.
Oliver Bonk had an assist and was a plus-4.
The Knights outshot Moncton 37-23.
London was 0-for-1 on the power play.
The Wildcats were 2-for-5.
All-Stars in their midst
Five London Knights players and Head Coach Dale Hunter all received All-Star nods from the Ontario Hockey League on Semi-final day at the 2025 Memorial Cup.
Sam Dickinson of the was named to the OHL’s 1st All-Star team.
Denver Barkey, Easton Cowan, Oliver Bonk and Head Coach Dale Hunter were named to the 2nd All-Star team while Austin Elliott was named to the 3rd All-Star team.
Elliott’s partner in the Knights crease, Aleksei Medvedev was named to OHL’s 1st All-Rookie team.
Up next
The championship game at the 2025 Memorial Cup tournament between London and the Medicine Hat Tigers will take place on Sunday, June 1 at 7 p.m.
Coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m., on 980 CFPL, at 980cfpl.ca and on the iHeart Radio and Radioplayer Canada apps.
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