KNIGHTS CONTINUE MASTERCARD MEMORIAL CUP QUEST AGAINST WHEAT KINGS
By: Katrina Squazzin
The London Knights will look to build off of their strong start at the MasterCard Memorial Cup when they face the Western Hockey League champion Brandon Wheat Kings.
It will be the second game of round robin play for both teams.
London picked up the tournament right where they left off in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs with an impressive 6-2 win over the host Red Deer Rebels. The victory extended the Knights’ win streak to 14 straight games.
The green and gold’s top line continued to wreak havoc on opponents. Mitch Marner finished the game with two goals and three assists, just one point shy of the record for most points in a Memorial Cup game, while Christian Dvorak ended the night with two goals and two assists. Aaron Berisha started the scoring for London in the first period with a power play goal at the 13:51 mark and opened the floodgates for another five straight goals through the first two periods. Victor Mete also chipped in another power play goal as the Knights finished two-for-five with the man advantage.
The Rebels came out strong at the start of the game, but Tyler Parsons shut the door on their early chances. He provided timely stops throughout the game and finished the night with 32 saves.
The Knights will now gear up to face another tough opponent in the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings.
Brandon (48-18-4-2) was a force in the west all season and finished with the top seed in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with 102 points. The Wheat Kings defeated the Rebels in five games in the conference final, needing only another five game series to capture the WHL championship over the Seattle Thunderbirds.
On paper, both the Knights and the Wheat Kings have similar styles with powerhouse scoring up front. Florida Panthers’ prospect Jayce Hawryluk and 2017 top draft prospect Patrick Nolan provide the Wheat Kings’ one-two offensive punch, both finishing with over 100 points in the regular season. They also tied for the lead in WHL playoff scoring with 30 points apiece in 21 games.
The Wheat Kings are still looking for a win at the Memorial Cup after dropping their first game 5-3 against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Brandon opened the scoring less than three minutes into the first period, but Rouyn-Noranda responded with five straight goals. Trailing by four heading into the final 20 minutes, Brandon came out hard, outshooting the Huskies 20-4 in the third period and scoring twice. They fell short of the comeback despite their strong final push.
The Wheat Kings are the only team that has yet to pick up a win at this year’s Memorial Cup, while a win for the Knights will earn them an automatic birth into the semi-final or MasterCard Memorial Cup championship.
