RIMOUSKI — One year after what he called the worst day of his life, Denver Barkey led his team to the Memorial Cup title.
The London Knights captain scored twice in a dominant 4-1 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers in the championship game Sunday, redeeming a devastating defeat 12 months ago.
“This is something I'll never forget,” Barkey said amid on-ice celebrations at Colisée Financière Sun Life. “We worked all year toward this, and this is the tightest team I've ever played on. To be able to do it with these guys, it's so surreal.
“Gonna remember this for life.”
The Knights allowed the go-ahead goal with 22 seconds remaining and fell 4-3 to the host Saginaw Spirit in last year's Memorial Cup final.
Instead of holding their heads in their hands when the buzzer sounded like 12 months ago, the back-to-back Ontario Hockey League champions exploded off the bench and threw their gloves in the air in celebration.
"It's an empty feeling when you go home with nothing,” said head coach Dale Hunter, still wet from being doused in green Gatorade. “When you come to this tournament, you had a good year, but when you don't win the last game, it's not successful.”
“Sticking to it and using it as motivation, as fuel, to push us all year,” added Barkey.
Sam Dickinson had three assists and Austin Elliott made 31 saves for the Knights, a powerhouse team that featured 12 NHL draft picks and four first-rounders.
Tournament MVP Easton Cowan and Jacob Julien also scored for London, which previously won in 2005 and 2016.
Hunter, now a three-time champion, said this year’s edition is "right there" with the rest of them.
"It'd be a tough poll," he said.
Cowan, tying Barkey with seven points, became the first player since 1972 to lead the tournament in scoring for consecutive years.
The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect also tied Mitch Marner for the most Memorial Cup points in franchise history with 15 in nine games.
“The Cowboy was outstanding,” Hunter said. “All through the season, all through the playoffs, he's been one of our main catalysts.
“He had to pick it up again, and he did again, hit another level in him. That's awesome for us to win — and for the Leafs for the future.”
Cowan, who has faced his share of adversity after last year's loss and two early exits with Canada’s world junior team, ends his OHL career on a high note.
"A lot of people hate and a lot of people love,” he said. “The people that love me will keep loving, the people that hate, maybe I can get them on board."
Gavin McKenna — the projected top choice in next year’s NHL draft — replied for Medicine Hat, which defeated the Knights 3-1 in round-robin play to qualify directly for the final and earn four days off.
Harrison Meneghin stopped 20 shots for the Western Hockey League champions. A WHL team hasn’t won the Memorial Cup since the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2014.
“They cared, they tried,” Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins said. “Coming in, we only have one problem, that's London's a really good hockey team. It wasn't that we didn't want it, wasn't that we didn't try. They're just a good team.”
London and Medicine Hat dominated their respective leagues en route to the Memorial Cup.
The Knights went 55-11-2 in the regular season and lost only once in the playoffs. The Tigers, meanwhile, lost twice in the post-season after a 47-17-4 campaign.
"We're such a resilient group, and obviously London's a really good team," said captain Oasiz Wiesblatt with tears running from his eyes. "Really proud of the group."
Wiesblatt still wore his jersey even with his shoulder pads off. How long would he keep it on?
“Well, I'm gonna keep it inside me my whole life," he said after his final junior game.
The Knights defeated the Moncton Wildcats, who won the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, 5-2 in Friday’s semifinal. The Rimouski Oceanic also played in the tournament as hosts, but lost all three games.
London poured it on with three goals in the second period Sunday to take a commanding lead.
After Elliott turned away a flurry of shots — including a tricky deflection from Cayden Lindstrom — Cowan buried his third of the tournament to make it 2-0 at 3:13.
Barkey added to the lead 1:40 later, capitalizing on a breakaway after Dickinson forced Wiesblatt into a turnover at the blue line.
Cowan appeared to make it 4-0 with his second of the night, but the officials ruled no-goal after O’Reilly interfered with Meneghin on a drive to the net.
Barkey then scored his second of the night on the power play with a wrist shot from the left circle off the post and in at 12:08.
McKenna finally broke Elliott’s shutout bid by cutting into the slot and converting a wrist shot glove side 2:43 into the third period for his third goal in four games.
The star winger was at it again with 5:21 remaining, beating Elliott with a slick shot into the top left corner. The goal, however, was called off following a review due to Ryder Ritchie’s high stick earlier in the play.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
