(Saginaw) Josh Bloom broke the deadlock with just 22 seconds left and the Saginaw Spirit defeated the London Knights 4-3 to win the Memorial Cup in front of their fans on Sunday night.
After letting a three-goal lead slip away, the Spirit was able to start celebrating when Bloom pushed a rebound from Jorian Donovan behind the red line.
Bloom also participated in two goals from Montreal Canadian prospect Owen Beck. Joey Willis finished the game with a goal and an assist for the Spirit, who lifted the Memorial Cup for the first time in their history.
Andrew Oke was not busy during the game and he gave up three times in just 13 shots in a winning cause.
Easton Cowan had a goal and two assists for the Knights, who were seeking a third Memorial Cup. Top prospect Sam Dickinson had a goal and an assist while Kasper Halttunen threaded the needle on one occasion.
Michael Simpson made 27 saves for the Ontario League (OHL) champions.
The Spirit, who were eliminated by the Knights in the third round of the OHL playoffs, became the 12e host team to win the Memorial Cup since the current format was introduced in 1983.
Carried by its supporters, the Spirit manhandled its opponents in the first period, both offensively and defensively.
Seconds after winning a faceoff, Beck jumped on a loose puck to score the first goal of the game. About seven minutes later, Hunter Haight took down defender Oliver Bonk to give himself a great opportunity to score.
After nearly 17 minutes without a shot on goal, the Knights took advantage of the generosity of the official scorers when Cowan headed a puck to the net, which was eventually deemed a shot to Oke.
This shot did not give the Knights wings. In fact, they remained in neutral when forward Landon Sim elbowed Spirit defender Zayne Parekh in the head. This gesture earned him a five-minute penalty and an expulsion.
With only 45 seconds remaining in the first period, Beck fired another precise shot to fool Simpson.
The Saginaw troop continued their domination in the second period and gave themselves a three-goal lead when Willis intercepted a pass before hitting the target with the backhand. The Knights’ response came less than two minutes later.
Following a poor change, Halttunen went two-on-one on the left flank and opted for a precise shot into the top corner to reduce the gap to 3-1.
The pressure on the Spirit’s shoulders somewhat got the better of the team in the third period and the Knights scored two goals in 2:28 to tie the game. Cowan first surprised Oke with a wrist shot before Dickinson did the same during a surplus.
This great comeback was, however, canceled when Bloom played the hero at the end of the match.