NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers Forward Mat Ward dekes around London Knights' defenceman Cam Allen in the first period of the Tigers' final round robin game of the 105th Memorial Cup, facing the Knights Tuesday at Rimouski's Sun Life Coliseum.
James Tubbjtubb@medicinehatnews.com
RIMOUSKI, Que.
The Medicine Hat Tigers are heading to the Memorial Cup final.
The Tigers outlasted the London Knights 3-1 Tuesday night, finishing the round robin 3-0 and clinching their spot in Sunday’s final.
Head coach Willie Desjardins says London was the better team on the night, with goaltender Harrison Meneghin the main reason they’re off to the finals.
“They started quick, they had a really good start to their game, they have a lot of talented players over there and the difference tonight was Meneghin,” Desjardins said. “He was outstanding in net, maybe even a little bit more than outstanding, that was a difference. But saying that, I thought our guys played hard. We blocked lots of shots, every line contributed and that was good.”
The 20-year-old Meneghin made 35 saves in the win, his third victory of the Memorial Cup.
London kicked off the scoring early as they controlled play in the first period.
On a power play 3:13 into the game, with the Tigers’ top penalty killer Hunter St. Martin in the box for high sticking, the Knights spun the puck around the Medicine Hat end. A Sam Dickinson blast from the point was blocked, he recouped it and fired the puck back toward the net where Kasper Halttunen redirected it past Meneghin for the 1-0 lead 3:34 into the game.
Knights’ head coach Dale Hunter was succinct in his recount of the game.
“It was another tight game, one-goal game, was a battle and they scored the second goal, the game winner,” Hunter said.
Both teams had a pair of power plays in the opening frame, the Tigers unable to capitalize on either chance as London led after 20 minutes, outshooting the Tigers 10-7.
The Tigers, making some adjustments in the intermission, came out strong in the second and tied the game up at 1-1. Just before the clock reached 13 minutes, the Tigers had sustained pressure in the London end.
Veeti Väisänen fired a shot toward the London net that was intercepted and sent to the point. Tanner Molendyk just held the blue line, putting the puck toward the net. It bounced off a London skate to a wide open Ethan Neutens to the right of Austin Elliott, and he hammered it home at 5:11. His first of the Memorial Cup and first goal since May 9, Game 1 of the WHL championship series against the Spokane Chiefs, tied the game up at 1-1 after 40 minutes.
The Tigers jumped out quick in the third period, grabbing the lead in the first two minutes.
Neutens carried the puck into the London end, throwing it on net, seeing it tumble behind the cage. Mat Ward went from the crease to behind the net, sending a pass to Misha Volotovskii out front before Ward darted from behind the net, scooped up the loose puck on his own and beat Elliott for the 2-1 lead at 1:17.
Medicine Hat’s third line of Ward, Neutens and Volotovskii combined for two goals and two assists in the win.
“It’s always the motive for a line out there is just always keeping it simple,” Neutens said. “We’re not doing too much, we’re sound defensively and we’re recovering for each other and just kind of just keeping up along. There’s nothing much to it.”
The Tigers were sent to the penalty kill with 3:35 left in the game. St. Martin was called for a hit from behind that was originally ruled a major penalty, reviewed to a two-minute minor for boarding.
Medicine Hat killed off the penalty and iced the game with 11.7 seconds left as Ryder Ritchie scored on the empty net. Oasiz Wiebslatt had the lone assist on Ritchie’s fourth of the tournament.
Across the ice from Meneghin, Elliott made 26 saves as the Knights outshot Medicine Hat 36-29. London won the face-off battle 37-23. The Knights were 1-3 on the power play, while the Tigers went scoreless on three man advantages.
Forward Cayden Lindstrom, who made his Memorial Cup debut in Monday’s 3-1 win over the Moncton Wildcats, did not take a shift in the third period of Tuesday’s game. Desjardins showed no concern postgame about Cayden Lindstrom missing the third frame and says the Columbus Blue Jackets prospect will be fine.
The Tigers are off until Sunday’s final, their first Memorial Cup finals appearance since 2007. The Knights will face the winner of the Moncton Wildcats and Rimouski Oceanic’s round-robin game on Wednesday in the semifinal on Friday. Medicine Hat will face the winner of that game.
The Tigers will have four days off in preparation for the Memorial Cup final, looking for the franchise’s third Memorial Cup title and the first since 1988.
For Ward, an overage forward, Sunday’s game will be his last in junior hockey with a championship on the line.
“You don’t sit around dreaming about playing that final game, you dream about winning it,” Ward said. “I don’t know if Willie remembers this, he sent me a text when he traded for me, but he said he wants to win that final game, not just to be there. So we’re not happy just being there (Sunday).”
