Knights win MasterCard Memorial Cup opener 3-2 over Blades
SASKATOON, SK – The London Knights were 3-2 winners over the Saskatoon Blades in the opening game of the 2013 MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament on Friday, May 17th, in front of 10,203 fans at Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon, SK.
Nikita Zadorov broke a 2-2 tie with a power play marker 5:45 into the third period to propel the OHL Champion Knights to the tournament-opening victory. The draft-eligible defenceman pinched in and put home a rebound into a yawning cage for the Knights’ second man advantage marker of the contest.
The Knights now have the all-important first win of the tournament, earning it over the tournament’s host team.
“I thought we played a good game tonight, coming out with a win in that first game,” said Knights’ forward Bo Horvat, whose team went 1-for-6 on the power play. “Our power play had been kind of silent over the last few games, but I thought we did a really good job tonight.”
While London had just finished off a hard-fought OHL Championship series versus Barrie only days ago, the host Blades had not played a competitive game since being eliminated from the WHL playoffs on March 27th. For the Blades, however, the layoff clearly didn’t hinder their play, particularly netminder Andrey Makarov, who made 30 saves on the night including several outstanding stops early on.
“Saskatoon was ready to play and they did a good job of preparing,” said Knights’ head coach Dale Hunter. “Makarov was very good, made some good saves on some good scoring chances.”
The Blades got off to the start they wanted, playing a high-tempo, physical first few minutes, and were rewarded for the effort when Josh Nicholls got the home side on the board first 7:59 into opening frame. Michael Ferland whipped the puck across the crease as he cut out from behind net, and Nicholls puts it into the vacant cage.
“Our team has a lot to keep our heads up about,” said Nicholls, who scored both of Saskatoon’s goals on the night. “It was our first game in 50-something days, and we did a great job against a League champion.
“I think we deserved that game, and we’re going to come back Sunday and hopefully get that win,” he said.
The Knights tied it up on a power play less than five minutes after Nicholls’ opener with Brett Welychka swatting in a rebound that beat Makarov high over the shoulder.
Seth Griffith gave the Knights a 2-1 lead with just 1:39 to play in the first. Horvat stripped Duncan Siemens as he headed up through the neutral zone, made a nice pass to Griffith on a 2-on-1, and the 19-year-old made a nifty move to beat Makarov on the backhand.
Nicholls evened up the score at 2-2 with his second marker of the night 15:21 into the second period. The 20-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs prospect fended off Team Canada veteran Scott Harrington on a partial break, then managed to bang in his own rebound as the puck bounced in front of Stolarz.
“In the early part of the game, we had some nerves and made some mistakes,” said Blades’ head coach and general manager Lorne Molleken. “Our goaltender was excellent tonight, and we put ourselves in a position to win a hockey game tonight but just came up short.
“Our guys should hold their heads high with what they did tonight,” he said.
The Knights will now have a couple days off to prepare for their second round robin contest versus the WHL champion Portland Winterhawks on Monday. The Blades will take on the QMJHL champion Halifax Mooseheads in their second round robin contest on Sunday.
The 2013 MasterCard Memorial Cup round robin schedule continues on Saturday night with the Winterhawks battling the Mooseheads.