RIMOUSKI, QC — The Medicine Hat Tigers (3-0) advanced to the final of the 2025 Memorial Cup Tuesday night after a 3-1 win over the London Knights (2-1) at Sun Life Financial Coliseum on Tuesday night.
Medicine Hat scored three unanswered goals to secure the win after trailing early, while 2025 WHL Playoffs MVP and Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Harrison Meneghin was named Player of the Game after steering aside 25 of 26 shots for a .972 save percentage.
Ethan Neutens, Mathew Ward, and Minnesota Wild prospect Ryder Ritchie found the back of the net for Medicine Hat, while San Jose Sharks prospect Kasper Halttunen scored the lone goal for London. Austin Elliott turned aside 27 shots in the Knights’ loss.
“I thought the difference tonight was Meneghin in net,” Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins said. “I thought our guys played hard, blocked a lot of shots, and that every line contributed.”
“We wouldn’t be going to the final with no. 35,” Ward said. “He’s been a rock for us all year.”
With their win over the Knights, the Medicine Hat Tigers have secured their fourth Memorial Cup final appearance since 1972, tying them for third all-time with five other teams — including the London Knights — for the most championship game appearances. It also marks the Tigers’ first trip to the final in 18 years and makes them the first WHL team to advance directly to the championship game since the Kelowna Rockets did so in 2009, when the event was last held in Rimouski.
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POST-GAME LONDON
POST-GAME MEDICINE HAT
Tied 1-1 heading into the third, the Tigers took the lead just 77 seconds into the frame through Ward’s first of the tournament. The overage forward collected the puck after a minute tip pass from Misha Volotovskii before he spun and slid the puck home to score the eventual game-winner.
“It probably ranks number one,” Ward said of the game-winner after playing his penultimate junior hockey game. “You don’t sit around dreaming about playing that final game. You dream about winning it. I don’t know if Willie remembers, but he sent me a text when he traded for me and said he wants to win that final game. Not just be there.”
Ritchie scored his tournament-leading fourth goal into the empty net with 11.6 seconds left in regulation.
“You’ve got to be so excited to get the chance,” Desjardins said of playing for a Memorial Cup title. “It’s great for us to get the opportunity, but for sure, we want to win it – we don’t want to just show up. So, we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”
The win marks the first time a WHL team has gone 3-0 in the Memorial Cup round-robin since 2008. The Tigers will now look to become the first WHL club to capture the title since the Edmonton Oil Kings did so 11 years ago.
The 2025 Memorial Cup final is set for Sunday at 7:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. MT.
Halttunen had the only goal of the first period as he got a piece of San Jose Sharks prospect Sam Dickinson’s shot from the point on the power play just 3:34 into the game. In the process, Halttunen moved into second all-time for most goals scored by a Knight in Memorial Cup history with six, trailing only Christian Dvorak, who recorded seven.
The Tigers scored the only goal of the second period when Nashville Predators prospect Tanner Molendyk’s point shot deflected off Los Angeles Kings prospect Jared Woolley’s skate and landed perfectly for Ethan Neutens, who buried it into an open net from the low slot at 5:11.
London now awaits the winner of tonight’s rematch of the 2025 QMJHL Championship Series, as the host Rimouski Océanic (0-2) faces the Moncton Wildcats (0-2) in the round-robin finale tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Every game of the 2025 Memorial Cup will air on TSN and RDS in Canada and be available via live stream on TSN.ca, the TSN app, RDS.ca, and the RDS app. In addition to full coverage in Canada on TSN and RDS, the 2025 Memorial Cup will air in the United States on NHL Network and be available to stream live for free on Victory+ for viewers outside of Canada.
Game 6 (Round-Robin) @ 7 p.m. ET – Wednesday, May 26 – Rimouski Océanic vs. Moncton Wildcats
Semi-Final @ 7 p.m. ET – Friday, May 30 – TBD vs. London Knights
Final @ 7 p.m. ET – Saturday, June 1 – TBD vs. Medicine Hat Tigers
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OHL Writers 