Series HQ: London vs. Saginaw

Game 6: Cowan scores two as London advances to the finals
London 4 at Saginaw 2 – London wins series 4-2

• Easton Cowan scored two goals for the Knights, one short handed and the other an empty netter with 38 seconds remaining in regulation to capture the eighth Wayne Gretzky Trophy in franchise history
• Cowan also added a assist on Jackson Edward’s game winning goal
• Sam O’Reilly also scored for the Knights
• Joey Willis opened the scoring for Saginaw with 3:17 remaining in the second period
• Jorian Donovan tied the game at two with just over 12 minutes remaining in the third period; Edward would score the game winner for London 48 seconds later
• Michael Simpson stopped 33-of-35 shots to earn the win
• The Knights were without Alec Leonard, Kaleb Lawrence, Landon Sim and Sawyer Boulton
• While he didn’t appear in the game, goaltender Andrew Oke dressed for the Spirit for the first time since being injured early in their second round series against the Soo
• Saginaw outshot the Knights 35-to-26
• The Knights are back-to-back Western Conference Champions, becoming the first team to repeat since the franchise last did so in 2012 & 2013

Game Centre & Highlights | London Post-Game: Hunter & Cowan | Saginaw Recap | Saginaw Post-Game: Lazary & Haché

Easton Cowan scored twice and added an assist as the @LondonKnights defeated the Saginaw Spirit 4-2 in Game 6 to be crowned #OHL Western Conference Champions for a second straight year.

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) May 5, 2024

Game 5: Haight’s hat-trick keeps Saginaw’s hopes alive
Saginaw 4 at London 2 – London leads series 3-2

• Minnesota Wild prospect Hunter Haight recorded his first career playoff hat-trick to lead the Spirit to a road victory in London
• Josh Bloom scored the other Saginaw goal on the power play less than two minutes into the second period
• Rodwin Dionicio assisted on all four Spirit goals
• Easton Cowan picked up a goal for the Knights, finishing off a nice passing play
• Oliver Bonk scored the other London goal
• Nolan Lalonde stopped 26-of-28 to earn the win
• Saginaw outshot London 35-to-28
• Alec Leonard remained out of the London lineup, while Saginaw was still without goaltender Andrew Oke
• Kaleb Lawrence was assessed a match penalty for cross-checking and ejected from the game late in the third period
• 9,036 packed the Budweiser Gardens for this Friday night tilt

Game Centre & Highlights | Saginaw Recap | Saginaw Post-Game: Lazary & Haight | London Post-Game: Hunter & Bonk

A Hunter Haight hat-trick keeps the @SpiritHockey alive! Game 6 on Sunday afternoon in Saginaw! 🔵🔴#OHLPlayoffs | #LDNvsSAG pic.twitter.com/KG92G60nrK

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) May 4, 2024

Game 4: O’Reilly’s big night gives London the upper hand
London 7 at Saginaw 3 – London leads series 3-1

• A four-point night from 2024 NHL Draft prospect Sam O’Reilly (2-2-4) gives the Knights a 3-1 series stranglehold over Saginaw
• Oliver Bonk, Easton Cowan and Isaiah George each tallied a goal and an assist for the victors
• Landon Sim and Sam Dickinson also scored for London
• Knights forward Max McCue finished with a plus-6 rating on the night
• Calem Mangone opened the scoring for Saginaw with his seventh of the playoffs, along with an assist
• Owen Beck added a power play marker to keep the game close for the Spirit, however London would put the game away with three unanswered goals late in the third
• Jorian Donovan also scored for Saginaw
• Michael Simpson made 34 saves to earn his 11th win of the playoffs
• Jackson Edward returned to the lineup for the Knights, while Alec Leonard still remains out
• Saginaw outshot the Knights 37-to-28
• London can clinch their eighth Wayne Gretzky Trophy with a win on Friday night

Game Centre & Highlights | London Post-Game: Hunter & O’Reilly | Saginaw Recap | Saginaw Post-Game: Lazary & Beck

The @LondonKnights bounce back with a 7-3 victory on the road!

Sam O'Reilly led the way with two goals & two assists to move the Knights one win closer to claiming the Wayne Gretzky Trophy! #OHLPlayoffs | #LDNvsSAG pic.twitter.com/g11btzz3eN

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) May 2, 2024

Game 3: Two Haight goals help Spirit rebound at home
Saginaw 6 vs. London 2 – London leads series 2-1

• Saginaw rebounded on home ice, coming back from down 2-1 to deliver the Knights their first loss of the playoffs
• Minnesota Wild prospect Hunter Haight scored two goals and added a helper for the Spirit
• Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck tied the game at two, wiring a quick shot past Michael Simpson
• Michael Misa scored the game winner off an inadvertent deflection of a Zayne Parekh point shot
• Calem Mangone and Alex Christopoulos also scored for Saginaw, while defenceman Rodwin Dionicio tallied three assists
• Ruslan Gazizov and Landon Sim each scored their third goal of the playoffs for London
• Zayne Parekh returned to the lineup for the Spirit after a three game absence, putting up two helpers
• Jackson Edward and Alec Leonard still remain out of the Knights lineup
• Owen Willmore made his first appearance of the playoffs in relief of starter Michael Simpson
• Nolan Lalonde earned third star honours, making 18 saves to earn the win
• Saginaw outshot London 38-to-20

Game Centre & Highlights | Saginaw Recap | Saginaw Post-Game: Lazary & Haight | London Post-Game: Hunter & Barkey 

The @SpiritHockey respond with a massive 6-2 win on home ice!

Hunter Haight (#mnwild) scored twice while picking up an assist & Rodwin Dionicio (#FlyTogether) registered three assists.#OHLPlayoffs | #LDNvsSAG pic.twitter.com/jaibcCGZT2

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 30, 2024

Game 2: Knights limit Spirit to 18 shots, go up 2-0 in series
London 3 vs. Saginaw 1 – London leads series 2-0

• Ruslan Gazizov scored twice, hitting the empty net late in the third to seal the deal in front of a sold out Bud Gardens
• Kasper Halttunen scored his ninth of the playoffs while Easton Cowan had two assists
• Michael Simpson stopped 17-of-18, with the lone Saginaw goal coming off the stick of Rodwin Dionicio
• Nolan Lalonde stopped 24-of-26 in the loss
• The Spirit remained without star defender Zayne Parekh while Nic Sima was also out of the lineup
• 2024 GOJHL Rookie of the Year Carson Harmer made his OHL debut for Saginaw
• The Knights were without both Jackson Edward and Alec Leonard on the blueline

Game Centre & Highlights | London Post-Game: Hunter & McCue | Saginaw Recap | Saginaw Post-Game: Lazary & Willis

The @LondonKnights continue rolling at home & grab a 2-0 series lead!

Ruslan Gazizov scored twice and Kasper Halttunen (#SJSharks) grabbed the GWG!#OHLPlayoffs | #LDNvsSAG pic.twitter.com/IlFR8oLSJq

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 28, 2024

Game 1: Halttunen’s third period pair push Knights to victory
London 3 vs. Saginaw 1 – London leads series 1-0

• Saginaw led 1-0 on a goal from Rodwin Dionicio, holding that lead beyond the midway point of the third period
• San Jose Sharks prospect Kasper Halttunen scored twice in just over two minutes as the Knights held-on for a 3-1 win
• Easton Cowan hit the empty net for London, finishing the night with a goal and an assist
• Draft eligible blueliner Sam Dickinson had a pair of assists for London
• Michael Simpson stopped 30-of-31 to earn second star honours
• The Knights managed to win Game 1 without blueliner Jackson Edward (personal reasons) while Alec Leonard left the game with an injury and didn’t return
• Nolan Lalonde made 27 saves for Saginaw
• Zayne Parekh and Andrew Oke remained out of the Spirit lineup
• London’s Game 1 win came before a sold out crowd of 9,036 at Budweiser Gardens

Game Centre & Highlights | Saginaw Post-Game

The @LondonKnights rallied at home to win Game One with two goals from Kasper Halttunen (#SJSharks) #OHLPlayoffs | #LDNvsSAG pic.twitter.com/ejCpOV5gmb

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 27, 2024

(1) London Knights (50-14-1-3) vs. (2) Saginaw Spirit (50-16-1-1)
Media Availability

The stage is set for an epic clash as the top two teams from the regular season collide in a Western Conference showdown for the prestigious Wayne Gretzky Trophy! Get ready for a thrilling back-and-forth battle as the series kicks off with Game 1 at Budweiser Gardens this Friday.

With both teams earning an impressive 50 wins in the regular season, the Spirit and the Knights only crossed paths four times, resulting in an even split.

Stepping into the Western Conference Final for the second year running, the London Knights are no strangers to the intensity of the OHL Playoffs. After defeating the Sarnia Sting in a hard-fought 4-2 series victory last year, the Knights are determined to punch their ticket to the OHL Championship series for a second straight spring.

Having claimed the Hamilton Spectator Trophy as regular season champions, the Knights have continued to demonstrate their dominance, skating to consecutive series sweeps over the Flint Firebirds and Kitchener Rangers.

“When you have a lot of time to rest like this, practices are not the same as playing games, it’s a struggle to keep up the intensity that other teams are experiencing. Rest is always something to worry about, but it does help with our guys who are a bit banged up, giving them time to get ready and prepare for this round,” said Knights Head Coach Dale Hunter.

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of past Knights legends, London is determined to clinch their spot in the OHL Championship, chasing their first title since 2016.

“I wouldn’t say that it’s going to be any easier this year even after having experienced it last season. We’re going to lean on our experience last year. We aren’t taking this team lightly, we respect them and the intensity will be just as high as last year,” said veteran forward Max McCue.

OHL Player of the Week Jacob Julien has continued to showcase his reliability, leading all Knights players with an impressive tally of seven goals, five assists, and 12 points in the playoffs. He had a stellar second round performance, registering nine points in his last four games. Additionally, CHL Import Draft pick and San Jose Sharks prospect Kasper Halttunen has excelled in his OHL Playoffs debut, remaining a consistent contributor with 11 points (6-5-11) in eight games played. Not to be overlooked, Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan put together the OHL’s longest point streak of the season, one that extended into the playoffs and reached a peak of 42 consecutive games.

Former 2023 OHL Champion Michael Simpson stands as the defensive backbone for his team, aiming for back-to-back OHL titles. Last season, he played a pivotal role in eliminating London with the Peterborough Petes at this stage. With an impressive 8-0 playoff record, Simpson boasts a 2.44 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.

Saginaw enters the next phase fuelled by momentum, having navigated through an intense seven-game series victory over the Soo Greyhounds following a sweep of the Owen Sound Attack in the playoffs’ opening round.

Experiencing the opposite of rest, the Memorial Cup hosts embrace the challenge ahead, drawing strength from their resilience and past success.

“It was the perfect series for us to play ahead of London. It was a battle for sure, a lot of intensity and I expect the same thing this series. We’ve been saying that facing London is like playing the New York Yankees, they’re competitive every year and it’s a challenge you just have to go for,” said Spirit Head Coach Chris Lazary.

With a stellar 50-16-1-1 record in the regular season, the Spirit secured the top spot in the West Division. In the post-season, veteran forward Calem Mangone has emerged as a key player, notching nine points (5-4-9) in 11 games played including a trio of game winners in the second round. Securing Tuesday’s Game 7 victory despite the absence of star defenceman Zayne Parekh, who was sidelined due to injury after Game 6, was a testament to the Spirit’s resilience. As they prepare for this matchup, Saginaw is hopeful for the 2024 NHL Draft prospect’s return.

The Spirit have also encountered challenges with their top goaltender, Andrew Oke, sidelined due to an injury sustained in Game 2 against the Greyhounds. As his status remains uncertain, Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Nolan Lalonde has risen to the occasion, playing a crucial role in guiding the Spirit to victory. Lalonde has posted a 2.85 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage, showcasing his ability to step up.

Don’t miss the opportunity to witness the best of the West as tickets sell out fast! If you can’t make it to the rink, you can always catch the series streaming on OHL Live.

The @LondonKnights and @SpiritHockey meet in the Western Conference Championship Series for the Wayne Gretzky Trophy beginning Friday at Bud Gardens.#OHLPlayoffs Tracker 📈: https://t.co/E8UTMnFIye pic.twitter.com/XaRzoaIYN8

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 24, 2024

Series Schedule:
Game 1 – Friday, April 26th at London, 7:00pm
Game 2 – Sunday, April 28th at London, 2:00pm
Game 3 – Monday, April 29th at Saginaw, 7:00pm
Game 4 – Wednesday, May 1st at Saginaw, 7:00pm
Game 5 – Friday, May 3rd at London, 7:00pm*
Game 6 – Sunday, May 5th at Saginaw, 2:00pm*
Game 7 – Tuesday, May 6th at London, 7:00pm*

*- if necessary

Season Series:
Series tied 2-2
Oct. 22 – LDN 4 at SAG 6
Dec. 2 – LDN 5 at SAG 7
Dec. 8 – SAG 3 at LDN 7
Jan. 12 – SAG 1 at LDN 6

Playoff History:
This will be London and Saginaw’s fourth meeting in the OHL Playoffs.
2013 LDN def SAG 4-0– 1st Round / 2012 LDN def SAG 4-2– 2nd Round / 2009 LDN def SAG 4-0– 2nd Round