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| Sunday, May 29, 2005 | |
Knights win the MasterCard Memorial CupAaron Bell, CHL |
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London, ON û The London Knights capped one of the most memorable seasons in Canadian Hockey League history with a 4-0 win over the Rimouski Oceanic in the championship final game of the 2005 MasterCard Memorial Cup on Sunday. Danny Fritsche opened the scoring four minutes into the game when he tucked a wrist shot under the pads of Rimouski goaltender Cedrick Desjardins. The Oceanic were down two men with Jean-Sebastien Cote and Eric Neilson both in the penalty box for cross-checking. Bryan Rodney bumped the Knights lead to two with three minutes left in the third period. Seconds after killing off a powerplay, Robbie Schremp took a shot from the slot and Rodney banged the rebound into the net. The Knights capitalized on the powerplay again early in the second period when David Bolland banged in a loose puck in front of the net. Schremp padded the Knights lead with his first of the tournament early in the third period. He took a centering feed from Corey Perry and wired a wrist shot from the slot that chased Desjardins from the net. Jean-Michel Filiatrault finished the game in the Rimouski net. Perry won the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player of the tournament after scoring four goals and seven points. Adam Dennis, who won the Hap Emms Trophy as the tournamentÆs top goaltender, made 27 saves for the shutout. The Knights celebrated their 40th season in the Ontario Hockey League by setting a new CHL record with a 32-game undefeated streak that lasted until January. They shattered several OHL and CHL records, including becoming the first team in OHL history to record back-to-back 50-goal and 100-point seasons. The Knights became the second straight team to win the Memorial Cup on home ice following the Kelowna Rockets, who were 3-0 in this yearÆs tournament. It was the fifth year in a row that the QMJHL champion lost in the Memorial Cup final game. Award winners Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Most Valuable Player) Corey Perry, London Knights Ed Chynoweth Trophy (Top Scorer) Sidney Crosby, Rimouski Oceanic George Parsons Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike Player) Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Rimouski Oceanic Hap Emms Memorial Trophy (Top Goaltender) Adam Dennis, London Knights All-Star Team Forwards Sidney Crosby, Rimouski Dan Fritsche, London Corey Perry, London Defence Mario Scalzo Jr., Rimouski Danny Syvret, London Goaltender Adam Dennis, London |