Cowan Scores Twice to Send London Knights to 2024 Memorial Cup Final

May 30, 2024 - Central Hockey League (CHL) News Release

SAGINAW, MI - Easton Cowan (2G-1A) scored twice late in the third to help punch the London Knights' ticket to the final of the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow after a 4-2 win over the Saginaw Spirit. The victory means the Knights will next play on Sunday, while the Spirit will prepare for a semi-final matchup against the WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Dow Event Center.

Kasper Halttunen (1G-1A) and Denver Barkey (1G-1A) also had goals for London while Michael Simpson turned aside 26 shots.

"This is the stuff you grow up dreaming of as a kid," Barkey said of reaching the Memorial Cup final. "Ever since I got to London when I was 16 this was always the end goal they've always strived for. To be here, it's pretty surreal. You can't take this moment for granted and we'll be ready to go Sunday."

The win marked Dale Hunter's 13th Memorial Cup victory as a head coach, placing him into a tie with former Ottawa 67's coach Brian Kilrea for second on the all-time wins list.

A victory in Sunday's final would not only allow Hunter to tie Don Hay's Memorial Cup record of 14 wins, but Hunter would also match Hay by winning a third Memorial Cup title - which stands as the most of any coach since 1972. Hunter would also become the first coach to ever win three Memorial Cup titles with one team since the tournament adopted its round-robin format 52 years ago.

"It never gets old," London head coach Dale Hunter said of reaching another Memorial Cup final. "It's a battle to get here. You're battling real good teams and the top teams from the league so it makes it fun hockey."

Alex Christopoulos (1G) and Joey Willis (1G) scored for Saginaw as Andrew Oke made 32 saves.

Tied 2-2 with less than 90 seconds to play, Sam O'Reilly (2A) flicked a backhand pass to Cowan who from low in the slot beat Oke glove side at 18:35 for his first of the tournament.

Cowan would send London to its fourth Memorial Cup final with 22 seconds left in regulation when he scored into an empty net.

"I thought I was getting my chances through the first couple of games," Cowan said. "But that third period I really felt like I got back to my game, forechecking in stops and starts, and it felt good to get one."

Christopoulos scored the opener at 8:50 as Josh Bloom's shot hit the former's skate and slid in for his second of the tournament.

The Knights leveled things up before the end of the first through Halttunen who scored his third goal of the tournament on the power play after he executed a highlight-reel toe drag he beat Oke glove side at 14:23.

London had its first lead of the night at 10:40 of the second as Halttunen fed Barkey out-front who fantastically re-directed the puck past Oke on the backhand. However, Willis got Saginaw level 3:40 later as he sniped his second of the tournament short-side to make it 2-2 through 40.

Playing in the first-ever Memorial Cup, both the Saginaw Spirit and the Moose Jaw Warriors will look to join the London Knights in the final when the two teams face off tomorrow night. The Warriors will be hoping to become just the third team since 2000 (2009 Windsor Spitfires & 2002 Victoriaville Tigres) to reach the final after falling 0-2 to start the tournament.

"We've played Saginaw a lot and we know what they bring and we've played Moose Jaw once," Cowan said. "They're both good teams so whoever comes out on top we'll be ready to play them."

With tonight's victory, the Knights extended their winning streak at the Memorial Cup to seven games, which stands as the third-longest streak in tournament history. London also won its 15th Memorial Cup game as a club and they'll be headed to their fourth-ever Memorial Cup final.

Upcoming Games

Tomorrow (May 31) @ 7:30 p.m. ET - Semi-Final - Moose Jaw Warriors vs. Saginaw Spirit (TSN 1/3, RDS2 & NHL Network)

Sunday, June 2 @ 7:30 p.m. ET - Championship Final - TBD vs. London Knights (TSN 1/3/4/5, RDS & NHL Network)

London Knights' Easton Cowan on game night (Eric Young/CHL)

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• Cowan Scores Twice to Send London Knights to 2024 Memorial Cup Final - CHL

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