2025 Memorial Cup preview – Oceanic vs. Knights – May 25
The London Knights are right back to work tonight as they get set to face the host Rimouski Oceanic in the third game of the 2025 Memorial Cup.
London are seeking their second straight win after a 3-2 overtime victory against Moncton Saturday while the Oceanic are looking to rebound after a 5-4 loss to Medicine Hat Friday. Puck drop is set for 6pm ET / 3pm PT live on TSN 1/3/5, RDS and Victory Plus.
“Obviously it was a good start,” said Jacob Julien (WPG). “It was a close battle between two good teams and super fortunate enough to win that one and now we hope to keep it going.
“We worked hard and capitalized on our chances.”
Sam O’Reilly (EDM) had a pair of goals that included the overtime winner as the Knights got off to a perfect start. Dale Hunter’s team peppered the Wildcats with 48 goals that included 10 from O’Reilly himself.
“Sam’s been an unreal player this year,” Julien said. “He’s a very smart player, two-way and very strong defensively and offensively.”
Some Memorial Cup history could also be made this evening as with a win, Hunter would become the winningest coach in Memorial Cup history with 15 wins to break a tie with Don Hay.
“He’s had a couple of records this season so the more that come, the better,” Julien said.
In Rimouski, the Knights face a team that will have the home crowd behind them tonight.
“This is going to be an exciting game,” Julien said. “They have a good squad, have good fans but it’s just like any other away game for us. We have to just do our thing and keep it rolling.”
As for the hosts, a win isn’t necessary for their tournament future, but it sure would help.
The Oceanic took a 3-2 lead into the third period Friday night but ultimately fell 5-4 to Medicine Hat in a thrilling tournament opener.
“We’re here, we’re part of the elite of the Canadian Hockey League — it’s up to us to show our skill,” said head coach Joël Perrault.
Four different players had goals for the Oceanic Friday but a Hunter St. Martin (FLA) goal with just 2:41 left in regulation sent the Oceanic to defeat. One major source of encouragement for Perrault’s team was their power play; they converted on three of their four opportunities.
“It’s fun, this is the best hockey in Canada, so we’re very lucky to be part of this tournament,” said Maël St-Denis who scored Friday. “If we take advantage of it, I think it’s time to show what we can do.
“It’s a great opportunity to prove ourselves at the same time.”
Of course, there will another 4,500 fans cheering the hometown Oceanic on. The home fans were loud Friday night and tonight will be no different as the Oceanic will look to use that energy to secure its first win of the event.
“Being in front of our fans like this — you can’t ask for more,” said Maxime Coursol. “We’re counting on them and we know they’ll be there because that’s how it’s been since the start of the season so I can’t imagine it being any different.”
Tonight will be the second ever meeting between London and Rimouski; their previous matchup was for the Memorial Cup in 2005 where the Knights skated to a 4-0 win.
Scheduled from May 22 – June 1 in Rimouski, Québec, every game of the 2025 Memorial Cup will air on TSN and RDS in Canada and be available via live stream on TSN.ca, the TSN app, RDS.ca, and the RDS app. In addition to full coverage in Canada on TSN and RDS, the 2025 Memorial Cup will be available to stream live for free on Victory+ for viewers outside of Canada.
2025 Memorial Cup schedule:
May 23 – Game 1: Medicine Hat 5-4 Rimouski
May 24 – Game 2: Moncton 2-3 London (OT)
May 25 – Game 3: Rimouski vs. London — 6:00pm ET
May 26 – Game 4: Moncton vs. Medicine Hat — 7:00pm ET
May 27 – Game 5: London vs. Medicine Hat — 7:00pm ET
May 28 – Game 6: Rimouski vs. Moncton — 7:00pm ET
May 29 – Tie-breaker (if necessary) — 7:00pm ET
May 30 – Semi-final — 7:00pm ET
June 1 – Final — 7:00pm ET
