2024 Memorial Cup preview – Knights vs. Warriors – May 27
Two teams with very different circumstances will meet tonight in the fourth game of the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow.
The London Knights know a win will allow them to control their own destiny while a victory for Moose Jaw will help keep their tournament aspirations alive.
“Right now we’re just taking it period by period,” said Jacob Julien (WPG). “We don’t want to think too far ahead but we’re trying to keep it simple and focus on tonight.”
A win tonight for London means that they would face Saginaw Wednesday with the winner advancing to the final of the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow. The Knights began their campaign with a 4-0 shutout win over Drummondville Saturday behind a 31-save shutout from Michael Simpson.
“He’s a fantastic goalie,” Julien said. “He’s one of the older guys so the younger guys lean on him. He knows what he’s doing; he’s been here before and has got some experience … he helps us get ready.”
Ruslan Gazizov scored twice for London in the victory while Julien himself had a pair of assists in their win over the Voltigeurs. Unsurprisingly, Knights fans showed up in droves to support the team on their quest for a third Memorial Cup.
“We have the best fans in the CHL,” Julien said. “We’ve always had constant support throughout the playoffs, even on the road. Far or close, they’re always there. They love it, we love it.”
As for Moose Jaw, they began the tournament with a 5-3 loss to Saginaw in the opening game of the tournament on Friday.
The Warriors found themselves in a 4-0 hole but a 95-second bombardment late in the second period got them within a goal but they were unable to beat the Spirit’s Andrew Oke again in the third.
“It’s just flipping the page from the last game,” said defenceman Kalem Parker (MIN). “We finished really good and I think we can take that into this game but we can’t start like that again … we have to flip the page and start fresh against a really good team in London tonight.”
Brayden Yager (PIT) scored twice for the Warriors while Parker collected an assist against Saginaw. The Warriors had a gruelling WHL Playoff Series against Saskatoon in the Eastern Conference Championship Series where six of seven games went to overtime before they swept Portland in the WHL Championships Series.
“When we played Saskatoon six out of seven times in overtime, you start to feel immune to pressure,” Parker said. “We almost enjoy [pressure]. I don’t think we shy away from it at all. We learned a lot from that Saskatoon series.”
That experience will benefit the Warriors tonight as they look for a first tournament win; with Drummondville having already experienced a pair of losses, tonight is far from a must-win for Moose Jaw but a victory would go a long way to clinching a semi-final berth.
“They’re obviously a super good team,” Parker said of London. “We have to come out strong; they’re a fast and strong team up the ice and really good in the neutral and ‘O’ zone.
We have to defend them really well and not give them much time and space.”
Puck drop from Saginaw, MI is set for 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT live on TSN 1/3/4/5, RDS, NHL Network and CHL TV.
2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow schedule:
May 24 – Game 1: Moose Jaw 4-5 Saginaw
May 25 – Game 2: London 4-0 Drummondville
May 26 – Game 3: Saginaw 4-3 Drummondville
May 27 – Game 4: London vs. Moose Jaw — 7:30pm ET
May 28 – Game 5: Drummondville vs. Moose Jaw — 7:30pm ET
May 29 – Game 6: Saginaw vs. London — 7:30pm ET
May 30 – Tie-breaker (if necessary) — 7:30pm ET
June 1 – Semi-final — 7:30pm ET
June 2 – Final — 7:30pm ET
