PHOTO COURTESY VINCENT ETHIER/CHL
The London Knights celebrate Jacob Julien's third period goal, the eventual game winner, in a 3-1 win Sunday over the 2025 Memorial Cup host Rimouski Oceanic.
James Tubbjtubb@medicinehatnews.com
RIMOUSKI, QUE.
The London Knights continue to find a way to win.
The back-to-back OHL champions held on in a back and forth battle Sunday night in the third game of the 2025 Memorial Cup, holding the Rimouski Océanic off long enough to win 3-1 with a pair of goals in the last five minutes of the game for a 2-0 record at the tournament.
“Just another hard fought game, one right to the end there, a big play and we ended up getting the winner, but it was a hard fought game,” London head coach Dale Hunter said.
With the win, Hunter moves into first place in all-time wins at the Memorial Cup with 15 victories, surpassing former WHL head coach Don Hay. He tied his Hay’s record of 14 wins following the Knight’s 3-2 overtime win Saturday over the Moncton Wildcats. Hunter says the success is a testament to the teams he’s coached in London.
“It’s a credit to the players here that to win games, they’re the ones who have to sacrifice on the ice blocking shots, doing everything,” Hunter said. “So through the years, I’ve had great players, they’re winners, and they go on to do great things.”
A back and forth first period saw neither team trade a big chance, both firing nine shots on net.
After starting the second period with 42 seconds of power play time, Rimouski struck first.
Eriks Mateiko jammed home a loose puck in the crease, knocking it past Austin Elliott to put the Océanic ahead 2:14 into the frame. Mathieu Cataford had the lone assist.
Rimouski net minder Mathis Langevin was put to the test a little over five minutes later as the Knights hemmed the Océanic in their end. Shot after shot was fired toward the net, all turned aside by the 18-year-old net minder.
The Knights finally struck, after both teams traded blows and chances, with a blast from the point off the stick of Henry Brzustewicz, making it a 1-1 game at 9:47.
After being held to just four shots halfway through the frame, Rimouski added another four in the second half with a majority coming on a later power play that saw them just miss on a back-door tap-in, leaving the game tied after 40 minutes.
The Knights led the game in shots, 23-17 after two periods.
A third period of chances for both sides finally saw the Knights strike pay dirt in the last half of the frame.
London broke into the Rimouski end with a three-on-three forming. Easton Cowan passed from the bench-side cross-ice to Kasper Hulttunen who dished to Jacob Julien at the side of the net for the tic-tac-toe goal and the 2-1 lead with 5:07 left in the third period.
“I just trying to find my way in the zone there, a good pickup by Hully, we were playing fast and gave Hults, then everyone in the building probably thought he’s gonna shoot it and he made a great play to Jules,” Cowan said, recounting the goal.
Rimouski pulled the goalie with 2:37 left in the period. They tried to set up a chance but a pass was picked off by the Knights who sent the puck up to Cowan who scored on the empty net for the 3-1 lead at 1:52. Denver Barkey and Sam O’Reilly had the assists.
Océanic head coach Joel Perrault liked how his team earned their space on the ice against the Knights and he says their opponent found the bounces needed to win.
“We had a lot of shifts where we were buzzing and a couple shots that their goalie made some really big saves,” Perrault said. “Sometimes he doesn’t see and the glove is there and it falls into the glove and that’s how we got our goal. We were able to find the rebound. And to stop them, I thought we did a good job. Obviously, guys are going to generate, it’s a hockey game and elite players find a way. They did a great play on that winning goal. Unfortunately we kind of missed our coverage and a tough line change. But those are bounces that are going to go either your way or the other way and tonight they got the bounces going their way at the end.”
Langevin finished with 33 saves in the loss. Across the ice from him, Elliott made 28 saves. London outshot the Océanic 36-29, Rimouski won the face-off battle 35-23.
The Océanic (0-2) are off until Wednesday when they face Moncton (0-1), needing a win to stay alive at the 105th Memorial Cup. London (2-0) is off until Tuesday when they face the Medicine Hat Tigers who are in action on Monday against the Wildcats . Julien says the day off comes at a good time for them.
“After two games in a row, it’ll be important to rest up, maybe get a practice in and then get ready for Medicine Hat.”
