Knights are Western Conference champs
Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan has led the London Knights to the Ontario Hockey League final.
Cowan scored twice and added an assist as London beat the Saginaw Spirit 4-2 on Sunday to win the Wayne Gretzky Trophy as the OHL's Western Conference champions.
London won the best-of-seven series 4-2.
The Knights become the first team to win back-to-back Wayne Gretzky Trophies since the franchise last did so in 2012 and 2013.
“We had a total team game going,” said Knights head coach Dale Hunter. “Our big guns came out and played really well and the young guys who came in and filled spots played really well too.”
Sam O'Reilly and Jackson Edward scored the other goals for the Knights, while Michael Simpson made 33 saves for the win.
Joey Willis and Jorian Donovan replied for Saginaw as Nolan Lalonde stopped 22-of-35 shots in net.
Saginaw's OHL playoff run came to an end, but the Spirit are the host team of the Memorial Cup starting May 24.
Neither team scored on the power play Sunday. London went 0 for 1 with the man advantage and the Spirit were 0 for 3.
The Generals claimed the Bobby Orr Cup as conference winners and will meet the London Knights in the OHL final.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2024.
Round 1 schedule
(1) London Knights vs. (8) Flint Firebirds
Game 1: Fri., March 29 – London 3 Flint 0
Game 2: Sun., March 31 – London 6 Flint 4
Game 3: Tues., April 2 – London 4 Flint 3
Game 4: Thurs., April 4 – London 3 Flint 2
Round 2 schedule
(1) London Knights vs. (4) Kitchener Rangers
Game 1 – London 5 Kitchener 3
Game 2 – London 5 Kitchener 1
Game 3 – London 6 Kitchener 4
Game 4 – London 4 Kitchener 3
Western Conference Championship Series
(1) London Knights vs. (2) Saginaw Spirit
Game 1 – London 3 Saginaw 1
Game 2 – London 3 Saginaw 1
Game 3 – Saginaw 6 London 2
Game 4 – London 7 Saginaw 3
Game 5 – Saginaw 4 London 2
Game 6 – London 4, Saginaw 2
2024 OHL Championship Series
Game 1 - Thursday, May 9th at London, 7:00pm
Game 2 - Saturday, May 11th at London, 7:00pm
Game 3 - Monday, May 13th at Oshawa, 7:00pm
Game 4 - Wednesday, May 15th at Oshawa, 7:00pm
Game 5 - Friday, May 17th at London, 7:00pm*
Game 6 - Sunday, May 19th at Oshawa, Time To Be Confirmed*
Game 7 - Monday, May 20th at London, Time To Be Confirmed*
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.