The 2025 Memorial Cup came to its conclusion with a matchup of one of the best round robin games between the London Knights (Ontario Hockey League) and the Medicine Hat Tigers (Western Hockey League). But unlike the round robin game, where the Tigers pulled out a 3-1 victory, the Knights came out on top and earned their third ever Memorial Cup, with a 4-1 win.
Tigers Can’t Cash In On Chances
In the aforementioned round robin game, the Knights were unable to cash in on their high-danger chances, and this ended up leading to them coming up short. The tables were turned in the final, though, with the Tigers just not being able to seal the deal. Even with coming out hot to start the game and getting plenty of pressure on the Knights’ defence and netminder Austin Elliott, the Tigers could not take advantage of it.
There were several times early on and throughout the game where there were posts hit, chances missed, and bounces just not going the way of Medicine Hat. Some of this can easily be attributed to the strong play from the Knights’ defence, but also to not bearing down and failing to lock in on a scoring chance. The Tigers ended the game with 32 shots on Elliott in the loss.
McKenna & Cowan Put On a Show
As the two top players on their respective teams, Gavin McKenna (Medicine Hat) and Easton Cowan (London) both put on a show for the fans in the final. McKenna barely came off the ice in the third period, it seemed like, as the Tigers attempted to make a comeback. He showed exactly why he is projected to be the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft with the way he played, not just on the offensive side, but with his all-around game as well.
Related: Gavin McKenna and Viggo Bjork Lead Historic 2026 NHL Draft Class
The veteran, Cowan, was the Knights’ best player all game. Whether it was on the forecheck and creating turnovers, or controlling the offensive play with the puck on his stick, he was phenomenal in the win for the Knights. He ended up scoring the eventual game-winning goal in the second period off a play that began with him beating a Medicine Hat defenceman back to the puck in the Tigers’ zone and cycling it down to Edmonton Oilers prospect Sam O’Reilly; Cowan found himself in the slot for a quick shot to beat Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Harrison Meneghin. With the goal, he tied Mitch Marner for the most career points by a London Knight in Memorial Cup play, with 15 over the last two tournaments.
More History for the Knights
To add to Cowan making Knights’ history, the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect also became the first player to ever lead the tournament in scoring in back-to-back tournaments since 1972. He tallied seven points and tied for the tournament lead with teammate Denver Barkey. Cowan earned the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Memorial Cup Most Valuable Player).
Dale Hunter also continues to make his mark on the record books. Not only did he become the winningest head coach in the history of the tournament earlier on in this year’s tournament, but with winning the Memorial Cup this year, he becomes just the second coach ever to win three Memorial Cups as a coach (2005, 2016, and now 2025). Don Hay (1994, 1995, and 2007) and Hunter now stand alone at the top of the history books.
Other Game Notes
- Barkey, a Philadelphia Flyers prospect, scored twice in the victory and finished with three in the tournament, tying him with Cowan, McKenna, and Dyllan Gill (Lightning prospect) from the Moncton Wildcats for the second most.
- With the tournament victory, the Knights organization becomes just the fourth to win three Memorial Cups since 1972, joining the Windsor Spitfires, Cornwall Royals, and the Kamloops Blazers.
- Knights defenceman and San Jose Sharks prospect, Sam Dickinson, once again played a major role for the team in the win, both offensively and defensively. He proved throughout the tournament why he earned the Max Kaminsky Trophy (OHL’s Defenceman of the Year) this season.
Exciting End to the Season
The matchup between the Tigers and the Knights is the one many wanted to see. The two teams were considered to be the best two in the tournament, and the two matchups they had against each other proved it. Between players like McKenna, Meneghin, Ryder Ritchie (Minnesota Wild prospect), and Cayden Lindstrom (Columbus Blue Jackets prospect) on Medicine Hat and the veteran-led Knights with Cowan, Dickinson, Kasper Halttunen (Sharks prospect), among others, this was the matchup that was expected. It did not disappoint as the finale of a great season across the entire Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Eyes will turn to the offseason, where, with the new landscape between the CHL and the NCAA in place, things could get interesting.
