McKenna, Medicine Hat battles Cowan, London for spot in Memorial Cup Final
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The Western Hockey League champion Medicine Hat Tigers and Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights clash in their final round-robin game of the Memorial Cup tournament on Tuesday with the winner getting a fast pass to the Final.
Both teams defeated the Moncton Wildcats and Rimouski Oceanic in their first two games of the tournament and the winner of this matchup will get a bye into the Memorial Cup Final while the loser will have to take on Moncton or Rimouski in the semifinal.
Medicine Hat is coming into this game after defeating Moncton 3-1 on Monday and will be playing on back-to-back nights for the first time in the tournament.
Minnesota Wild prospect Ryder Ritchie supplied most of the offence for the Tigers, recording the first two goals of the game.
Moncton defenceman Dyllan Gill cut Medicine Hat's lead in half early in the third period but phenom Gavin McKenna added an empty net goal late to secure the victory for the Tigers.
Ritchie now has the tournament lead with three goals after two games and is tied with McKenna, Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt, and London star Easton Cowan for the tournament lead in points with four.
"We are grateful for the opportunity, we don't take it for granted," Medicine Hat general manager and head coach Willie Desjardins said of their upcoming game against London on Monday. "We know what the games are going to be like. We know they're going to be hard. Everybody knows London's a good team. They [were] that close to winning last year [and] I think they might be a better team this year. So that's a big challenge for us."
McKenna continues to impress in the Canadian Hockey League's postseason, recording nine goals and 38 points in 16 WHL playoff games and added two goals and four points in two tournament games.
He has only failed to show up on the scoresheet once during his entire playoff run, but missed two games in the WHL Championship Series due to an undisclosed injury.
"When you see him in person, it's different than watching him on video," TSN Hockey Analyst Frankie Corrado told Jay on SC on Monday. "There's just something about the subtleties and deceptions to his game. You really have to expect the unexpected when the puck is on his stick. He can create so much in so many different areas in waves and everyone on Medicine Hat is benefitting from that."
Medicine Hat also got a big boost in their lineup as Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Cayden Lindstrom made his first Memorial Cup appearance.
Lindstrom missed the team's 5-4 win over Rimouski to open the tournament as he continues to work his way back into the lineup after recovering from back surgery that kept him out of the entire regular season and most of the playoffs.
The 6-foot-4 centre was not credited with a point but was a threat to score throughout the game and was a factor on Ritchie's second goal, which was the game-winner.
"I liked that Lindstrom was able to withstand the physical pressure that you need after coming off an injury," said Corrado. "For a guy like that, who has a big body and is physical, you have to be able to take a hit and give a hit. The time offensively will come with more reps but for him to get within reach, use his body, and be comfortable in those situations was really encouraging for him."
London is looking to get back into the Memorial Cup Final after falling in heartbreaking fashion in last year's championship game and enter Tuesday's game after defeating the Wildcats and Oceanic on back-to-back nights over the weekend.
Edmonton Oilers prospect Sam O'Reilly was the hero on Saturday, supplying the Knights with opening marker and overtime winner in the team's 3-2 win over Moncton.
Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick Easton Cowan supplied two assists against Moncton, including the primary assist in the game winner. He then supplied a goal and an assist in the Knights' 3-1 win over the Oceanic on Sunday.
"They're good players and they want to win really bad," head coach Dale Hunter said after Saturday's game. "They play hard, and when the big games are on the line they come through."
Cowan had been a force to be reckoned with over the last two Memorial Cup runs. The 6-foot winger won the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award last season as playoff MVP after leading the OHL postseason with 10 goals and 34 points in 18 games. He surpassed his total in this year with 13 goals and 39 points in 17 games.
He led last year's Memorial Cup tournament with three goals and eight points in four games and is tied with McKenna, Weisblatt, and Ritchie with a goal and four points through two games at this year's tournament.
"When you're a player who is going to have the puck on his stick in critical moments, you expect that player to make the big play," TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button said postgame on Sunday. "That's what he did on the overtime winner on Saturday and that's what he did against the Oceanic [on Sunday]. Cowan does it offensively, defensively, and everywhere in between."
The Memorial Cup on TSN returns on Wednesday when Moncton battles Rimouski in a rematch of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Championship Series and a winner-take-all game that will see the loser eliminated from the tournament and the winner face either the Tigers or Knights in the semifinals. You can watch that game LIVE at 7 p.m. ET on TSN1/5, TSN.ca, and the TSN App.