MEMORIAL CUP: LONDON ADVANCES TO SUNDAY’S FINAL
RED DEER, Alta. – It’s been 54 days since the London Knights last suffered a loss. They will attempt to run their win streak to 17 games when they play in the Memorial Cup final.
Matthew Tkachuk scored twice and Mitch Marner had four assists as London downed the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 5-2 on Tuesday to earn their spot in the tournament’s championship game.
The Knights last dropped a decision in the first round of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs on April 1 and have gone undefeated through round-robin play at the Memorial Cup.
JJ Piccinich, Christian Dvorak and Max Jones also scored for the Knights (3-0).
Marner’s four assists gives him a tournament-best 13 points in three games and leaves him three points off the Memorial Cup record set in 1982 by Jeff Larmer and matched in 1986 by Guy Rouleau.
Timo Meier scored twice for the Huskies (1-2), who won’t know their tournament fate until after the host Red Deer Rebels (1-1) play the WHL champion Brandon Wheat Kings (0-2) in the final preliminary-round game on Wednesday.
Hunter plans to give his team the day off on Wednesday, with the championship game set for Sunday. The semifinal is Friday while, if needed, a tiebreaker game will be played Thursday. The outcome of the Red Deer-Brandon game will determine both.
(Canadian Press)
This Memorial Cup looks like a easy picking for London but stranger things have happened when it gets down to the Nitty Gritty of it all. I wouldn't count Red Deer out yet. A win tonight over Brandon could make things interesting.