Saginaw Spirit soar to first-ever Memorial Cup Championship
Saginaw, Mich. – Josh Bloom scored the deciding goal with 22 seconds remaining in the third period, securing a 4-3 win over the London Knights and the Saginaw Spirit’s first Memorial Cup championship in franchise history.
The Spirit started the game hot, outshooting London 13-1 through one period and 24-6 through 40 minutes, owning a 3-0 lead midway through regulation before the Knights battled back to level the score at three.
Bloom’s winner came on a goalmouth scramble as he stuffed the puck over the goal line past an outstretched Michael Simpson to put the Spirit ahead for good, making them the first American OHL team to win a Memorial Cup title.
Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck scored a pair of first period goals, putting Saginaw up 2-0 with just 45 seconds to left in the opening stanza. Beck would go on to earn the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as Memorial Cup MVP, rounding-out the tournament with five points (4-1–5) in as many games.
Nashville Predators prospect Joey Willis chipped a backhand effort over the shoulder of Simpson on a break in-alone 7:47 into the second before the Knights found their footing and made a game of things.
San Jose Sharks draftee Kasper Halttunen gave London life with his fourth of the tournament 9:45 into the second. Easton Cowan would follow-up 7:48 into the third with a low shot through traffic that snuck through the five-hole of Oke. 2024 NHL Draft prospect Sam Dickinson scored the equalizer, taking a feed from Max McCue to beat Oke up high and knot the score at three midway through the third period.
Bloom’s heroics capped-off a one goal and two assist performance for the Vancouver Canucks prospect. A capacity crowd of 5,373 at the Dow Event Center was on hand for the biggest goal in Saginaw Spirit history.
The Spirit surrendered just 13 shots in the win, the fewest by any team in a Championship Final in the past 25 years of Memorial Cup history. Saginaw becomes the first U.S. based CHL team to win the Memorial Cup since the Spokane Chiefs, who last did so in 2008.
The OHL champion London Knights come up one win short in their Memorial Cup quest as veterans Michael Simpson, Max McCue and Kaleb Lawrence played in their final OHL contests.
OHL Commissioner David Branch, who will retire this summer following 45 years leading the Ontario Hockey League, presented the Memorial Cup to Saginaw Spirit captain Braden Haché. The Spirit and the London Knights became the fifth set of OHL teams to meet in the Memorial Cup Final, with the Spirit becoming the third straight tournament host to win such an encounter following the 2017 Windsor Spitfires and 1993 Soo Greyhounds.
On Monday at 12 p.m. ET, fans are invited to join the Saginaw Spirit as they celebrate this historic moment with a championship parade that will travel down M-13 from Commerce Tower to Johnson Street, before heading towards Jolt Credit Union Event Park, which is located right across the street from the Dow Event Center.
Quick Facts
- The Spirit became just the third American club to win the Memorial Cup, following both the Portland Winterhawks (1983 & 1998) and Spokane Chiefs (1991 & 2008)
- The Spirit became just the second American host club of the Memorial Cup to win the event, following the 1983 Portland Winterhawks
- The Spirit are just the third Memorial Cup host to lift the trophy in the last 10 years (Saint John Sea Dogs – 2022; Windsor Spitfires – 2017)
- The Spirit are the first OHL (and non-QMJHL) club to hoist the Memorial Cup trophy since the Windsor Spitfires achieved the feat in 2017
2024 Memorial Cup Awards
Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (MVP) – Owen Beck (Saginaw Spirit)
Hap Emms Memorial Trophy (Outstanding Goaltender) – Michael Simpson (London Knights)
George Parsons Trophy (Sportsmanship) – Denton Mateychuk (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Ed Chynoweth Trophy (Leading Scorer) – Easton Cowan (London Knights)
2024 Memorial Cup All-Star Team
G – Michael Simpson (London Knights)
D – Denton Mateychuk (Moose Jaw Warriors)
D – Rodwin Dionicio (Saginaw Spirit)
F – Owen Beck (Saginaw Spirit)
F – Brayden Yager (Moose Jaw Warriors)
F – Kasper Halttunen (London Knights)
- Game Centre
- Highlights
- Post-Game: Chris Lazary
- Post-Game: Owen Beck
- Post-Game: Braden Haché
- Post-Game: Josh Bloom
- Post-Game: Andrew Oke
- Post-Game: Hunter Haight
- Post-Game: Zayne Parekh
- Post-Game: Jorian Donovan
- Post-Game: Michael Misa
- TSN Post-Game: Owen Beck
- TSN Post-Game: Josh Bloom
- TSN Post-Game: Braden Haché
- TSN Post-Game: Chris Lazary
- TSN Post-Game: Dave Drinkill
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