London Knights Win 2016 MasterCard Memorial Cup
May 30, 2016 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL) News Release
Red Deer, AB - The London Knights are 2016 MasterCard Memorial Cup champions following a 3-2 overtime victory against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.
Top NHL Draft prospect Matthew Tkachuk buried two goals including the winner 7:49 into overtime to crown the Knights national champions for the second time in franchise history, and first time since 2005.
The 98th edition of the MasterCard Memorial Cup in Red Deer also marked the first time in 42 years that the national championship has been held in Alberta. Sunday's game marked the 10th time since 1972 that the Memorial Cup has been awarded following an overtime decision.
After a scoreless first period, Tkachuk tipped home his fourth goal of the MasterCard Memorial Cup at 9:19 of the second frame to give the Knights a 1-0 lead. With an assist on the goal, Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Mitchell Marner recorded his 14th point (2g-12a) of the championship in just four games. The lead only lasted 15 seconds as Francis Perron struck for the Huskies to tie the game.
Julien Nantel gave Rouyn-Noranda a 2-1 edge at the 9:13 mark of the third period, but Arizona Coyotes prospect Christian Dvorak's tournament-leading seventh goal with 4:11 left in regulation brought London level again and forced overtime.
Tkachuk played hero in overtime when he drove down the left wing before pulling the puck to the middle and lacing a shot under the arm of Chase Marchand.
Marchand and Tyler Parsons dueled in the nets all night, making 30 and 29 saves respectively. Parsons was later named to the 2016 MasterCard Memorial Cup All-Star Team and the recipient of the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the most outstanding goaltender.
Marner earned MVP honours rounding out an incredible season where he was also named the OHL's Most Outstanding Player of the Year, Playoff MVP, and CHL Player of the Year in addition to his tournament accolades. He becomes just the second player in CHL history to be recognized as the league's best for all stages of the season following Brad Richards of the Rimouski Oceanic who earned top QMJHL regular season and playoff honours along with CHL Player of the Year and MasterCard Memorial Cup MVP for the 2000 season.
It was the Knights' fifth appearance in the MasterCard Memorial Cup, while the Huskies earned the franchise's first berth at the event in its 20th anniversary season. The Memorial Cup remains in Ontario after the Oshawa Generals claimed the title on year ago.
2016 MasterCard Memorial Cup Awards:
Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Most Valuable Player)
Mitchell Marner (London)
Hap Emms Memorial Trophy (Outstanding Goaltender)
Tyler Parsons (London)
George Parsons Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike Player)
Francis Perron (Rouyn-Noranda)
Ed Chynoweth Trophy (Leading Scorer)
Mitchell Marner (London), 2 G - 12 A - 14 PTS
2016 MasterCard Memorial Cup All-Star Team:
F - Mitchell Marner (London)
F - Christian Dvorak (London)
F - Timo Meier (Rouyn-Noranda)
D - Olli Juolevi (London)
D - Haydn Fleury (Red Deer)
G - Tyler Parsons (London)
GAME CENTRE | HIGHLIGHTS
STAFFORD SMYTHE MEMORIAL TROPHY: Mitch Marner
KNIGHTS POST-GAME: Marner, Dvorak, Tkachuk, Parsons, Graves, Hunter
HUSKIES POST-GAME: Perron, Marchand, Bouchard
PHOTO GALLERY
The 2016 MasterCard Memorial Cup is proudly supported by MasterCard, title sponsor of this event for 18 straight years. Associate sponsors include BMO Bank of Montreal, Cooper Tires, autoTRADER.ca, and Bumper to Bumper.
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