Game Notes: Undefeated Knights and Spirit meet for a trip to Championship Final

The winner of tonight’s matchup between the London Knights and Saginaw Spirit will advance to Sunday’s Championship Final of the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow. Don’t miss this clash of OHL rivals that gets underway at 7:30pm ET.

Knights, Spirit meet for 11th time
There’s no love lost between these two Western Conference foes after the Knights eliminated the Spirit in six games to claim the Wayne Gretzky Trophy as Western Conference champions. London went on to sweep the Oshawa Generals in the OHL Championship Series to win their fifth J. Ross Robertson Cup title.

2-0 OHL teams meet for the fourth time in Memorial Cup history
The Knights and Spirit follow the 2017 Windsor Spitfires and Erie Otters, 1990 Oshawa Generals and Kitchener Rangers and 1984 Ottawa 67’s and Kitchener Rangers as the fourth set of OHL teams to begin a tournament with 2-0 records. The League champion has gone on to win the Memorial Cup in two of those three past instances, with the 2017 Windsor Spitfires emerging as the lone host team to do so.

Hunter closing in on Memorial Cup records
London Knights head coach Dale Hunter is coaching in his fifth Memorial Cup tournament (2005, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2024) and enters tonight’s matchup trailing only the great Brian Kilrea in wins by an OHL head coach at the event since the inception of the round robin format in 1972. Hunter has won a total of 12 games while Kilrea has won 13. Former Kamloops Blazers and Vancouver Giants head coach Don Hay leads the way with 14 career victories at the Memorial Cup. Hunter is looking to join Hay, who is the only coach to have won three different Memorial Cup championships in the modern era (since 1972).

Gazizov enters play tied for tournament goal-scoring lead
Ruslan Gazizov has had the violin out three different times, setting tied for the Memorial Cup goal-scoring lead through two contests. Moose Jaw Warriors teammates Brayden Yager and Denton Mateychuk have also scored three goals.

Capacity crowd expected for OHL clash
The Saginaw Spirit faithful will be out in force, but the London Knights have also seen their fans travel well throughout the tournament. Tickets are scarce for tonight’s encounter as the Spirit have a shot at redemption against a Knights team that ended their playoff quest just a few weeks ago.

Knights have last change tonight
The Knights will have last change as the home team in tonight’s game at the Dow Event Center.

Boulton suspended, Knights fined $1,000
The Canadian Hockey League announced Tuesday that London Knights forward Sawyer Boulton has been suspended one game for a pre-game warm-up violation against the Moose Jaw Warriors. The Knights were also fined $1,000 for the infraction.

Watch tonight’s game
Don’t miss tonight’s matchup – watch on TSN 1 and NHL Network at 7:30pm ET!