2026 OHL Cup: Day 2 Recap
Stay tuned throughout the day for rolling updates from the OHL Cup, with game recaps, key moments, and top performers from every matchup.
Imbeau’s 16 Saves Leads the Express to 4-1 Victory
York Simcoe Express vs Huron Perth Lakers
Final: 4 (YSE) – 1 (HPL)
In a game that featured two teams searching for their first win of the week the OMHA Finalist York Simcoe Express picked up an important 4-1 win over the Huron Perth Lakers.
York Simcoe got great goaltending from Ty Imbeau which allowed them to build up a comfortable 4-0 lead heading into the second intermission off of goals by Gage Kirk (1), Joshua Miles (1), Cooper Niquet (1) and Jacob Bertucci (1).
The Lakers were able to break the shutout bid for Imbeau on a goal by Evan Miller (1) with just 50 seconds left in the game. York Simcoe stayed disciplined only taking two penalties which didn’t provide Huron Perth with any opportunities to get back in the game.
“Defensively we played really well, there weren’t many mistakes and I think I played well, I did my job out there,” said Imbeau after the win, “we put more pressure on ourselves [after our loss yesterday], but we had faith in each other and I think we showed it out there today.”
York Simcoe has the rest of the day off before a double-header tomorrow against Detroit Honeybaked at 8:00am and Hill Academy at 7:15pm. Huron Perth is back at it tonight against the Toronto Marlboros at 5:15pm.
New Era Player of the Game
York Simcoe Express – Stuart DeMunnik (D)
Huron Perth Lakers – Ethan Bridges (F)
London Depth Shines in Win over Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay Kings vs London Jr. Knights
Final: 10 (LDN) – 1 (TBAY)
The ALLIANCE Champion London Jr. Knights flexed their muscles in a 10-1 win over the Thunder Bay Kings on Day 2 of the 2026 OHL Cup.
London’s New Era Player of the Game, Ryan Salmoni (2) got things going early for his team scoring two goals in the opening 1:48 of the game. Teammate Jace Luchanko (1) added another before the end of the first to give the Jr. Knights a 3-0 lead into the first intermission.
Early in the second period Thunder Bay’s Liam Maxwell (1) netted his first of the tournament to get the Kings on the board. A couple powerplay goals by London’s Finley Butler (1) and Drew Bate (1) would widen the gap to 5-1 before the end of the second period. London padded to their lead in the third period on their way to the 10-1 win, marking their first victory of the tournament.
London’s Graham Littlejohn put up one goal and four assists in the win, while teammate Drew Bate had two goals and two assists, “We kind of started out slow, we were trying to pile up some goals for the goals against and goals for average,” said Bate, “I’ve been playing pretty good. The first game pucks just didn’t go in the net, it happens, but the next game we persevered, I hope we can keep it rolling through the tournament.”
The Jr. Knights will take on TPH later today at 3:45pm while the Kings are up against the Barrie Jr. Colts tonight at 7:15pm.
New Era Player of the Game
Thunder Bay Kings – Liam Maxwell (F) 1G
London Jr. Knights – Ryan Salmoni (F) 2G 1A
Honeybaked Victorious in their OHL Cup Opener
Detroit Honeybaked vs Toronto Marlboros
Final: 3 (HB) – 1 (TMAR)
A busy week ahead for Detroit Honeybaked started with a 3-1 win over the GTHL’s Toronto Marlboros.
Toronto got to work early with a goal by Michael Warner (1) just 4:28 into the game. Honeybaked entered the 2026 OHL Cup fresh off of an appearance at Nationals just last week so a little bit of fatigue might have been expected.
They were able to find their touch in the second period scoring a pair of goals by Austin Hall (2) just 3:10 apart. “I think we played great, we lost two of our guys from the regular season so we brought in two guys and made sure they feel part of the team,” said Hall, “we played a gritty game and got to work this morning.”
The Marlboros threw 13 shots on net in the final frame trying to even the score but Honeybaked goalie Carter Nash stopped all of them down the stretch to preserve the 3-1 win after his team added an empty net goal.
“We got back Saturday night [from Nationals], tried to rest the legs, get a good night’s sleep and get ready for this week after a long week,” said Nash after his team’s opening game win.
Detroit Honeybaked will rest up before taking on Hill Academy at 4:00pm. The Toronto Marlboros will look to get back in the win column when they play the Huron-Perth Lakers at 5:15pm.
New Era Player of the Game
Detroit Honeybaked – Austin Hall 2G
Toronto Marlboros – Nolan Hardy 42 SVS
99ers Ride Strong Second Period to Victory Over Red Devils
Brantford 99ers vs. Quinte Red Devils
Final: 5 (BFD) – 2 (QRD)
The Brantford 99ers used a dominant second period to power past the Quinte Red Devils with a 5-2 win in OHL Cup action, outshooting their opponents 43-26.
“Pretty good. I thought we got pucks deep, won our battles down low, and got a lot of shots on net,” said captain Roman Vanacker following the win.
Brantford opened the scoring early in the first period, as Calum Morgan (1) found the back of the net just over two minutes into the game. Ethan Zivanovich (2) followed later in the frame, doubling the 99ers’ lead to make it 2-0 heading into the intermission.
The 99ers continued to build momentum in the second period. Vanacker (1) extended the lead with what would stand as the game-winning goal, before Carson Vukelich (2) added another to make it 4-0.
“This is a great tournament for us and every team in here. It’s going pretty well for us. We had a tough loss yesterday in overtime, but we bounced back this morning and had a great game,” Vanacker added.
Quinte responded midway through the period on the power play, with Kalum Phillips (1) getting the Red Devils on the board. However, Brantford answered back before the end of the frame, as Emry Lowe (2) restored the four-goal cushion.
Jack Sutton (1) added a third-period marker for Quinte, but the Red Devils were unable to close the gap any further as Brantford held firm the rest of the way.
“I want to be better than him,” Vanacker laughed when asked about his brother finishing the OHL regular season as the league’s top goal-scorer. “He pushes me to try to be better than him as well,”
New Era Players of the Game:
Brantford 99ers: Emry Lowe (F) – 1G
Quinte Red Devils: Andrew Laurin (F) – 1A
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Twenty-five teams will embark on the 2026 OHL Cup Showcase, with tournament games beginning at 12:00pm on Monday, March 30th, culminating in the Championship Final that will take place on Saturday, April 4th at Mattamy Athletic Centre in downtown Toronto, with puck drop at 2:00pm.
The OHL Cup has established itself as a premier development tournament, serving as a critical showcase for the next generation of hockey talent. A total of 223 OHL Cup graduates have advanced to play in the OHL en route to the National Hockey League (NHL), including 114 players currently on NHL rosters.
