In each of their first games of the 2024 Memorial Cup, the Drummondville Voltigeurs (Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League champions) and the London Knights (Ontario Hockey League champions) matched up against each other. The Knights fans were out in full force after making the short three-hour drive to Saginaw to cheer their team on. At the end of the game, they were rewarded with a shutout victory over the Voltigeurs, thanks in large part to Michael Simpson’s play in the crease.
Simpson’s Hot Postseason Play Continues
Over the last two seasons, Simpson has been one of, if not the hottest goaltenders when it comes to playoff teams across the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). In the last two playoff runs he has been a part of with the Knights and the Peterborough Petes, he has won a total of 31 games and two OHL championships. He also won MVP honors last season for the OHL Playoffs as well. His play in the playoffs this season has been nothing short of excellent and in his first game of the Memorial Cup, he continued that trend once again.
Related: 2024 Memorial Cup: Players & Teams to Watch
In his 31-save shutout against the Voltigeurs, Simpson was challenged early and often in the first period but stood tall and helped keep the game deadlocked at zero until the tail end of the period when the Knights broke the tie. Throughout the game, the Voltigeurs had a number of high-quality scoring chances that went for not with Simpson standing tall and further proving he is the best of the best from the OHL when it comes to the goaltender position.
Knights’ Defense Feeds Off of Simpson
With Simpson playing strong in the net for the Knights, he also got some help and strong play from the defense in front of him. This was led by the play of 2024 Draft-eligible defenseman Sam Dickinson. He played a solid game in his end of the ice and also played a key role in breaking up plays where the Voltigeurs were either on odd-man rushes or in an advantageous situation.
The penalty kill for the Knights served as a saving grace throughout the 4-0 victory as well. They killed off all five penalty-kill situations they found themselves in thanks to some strong defensive positioning and keeping Drummondville to the outside of the offensive zone and away from the high-danger areas of the ice. Even though he did not factor into the scoring at all in the win, Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan played a big role in the penalty kill being successful once again. He found himself getting chances to give himself or his teammates a push out of the defensive zone at times and was one of the team’s best killers all game. Overall, the Knights seemed to feed off their netminder and kept the Voltigeurs off the scoresheet with some strong play.
Voltigeurs Keeps Knights’ Power Play at Bay
The one area where the Knights were not successful in their victory was in the power play department. After being one of the OHL’s best units all season long and going 16 for 21 in their series against the Oshawa Generals to win the OHL championship, they ended up going scoreless on four opportunities on the man advantage. As much as they kept the Voltigeurs out of the high-traffic areas while they faced a man disadvantage, the Voltigeurs did the same to the Knights.
There were times when Drummondville was actually able to get themselves better scoring chances than the Knights did thanks to being patient defensively and forcing turnovers or bad plays. The Knights also seemed to get a bit too fancy and cute with the puck at times while on the man advantage instead of taking what they were given lane and option-wise. Getting their power play unit back and going for the remainder of the Memorial Cup will be something for fans to keep an eye on if the team plans on having a deep run and success the rest of the way.
Other Game Notes
- Ruslan Gazizov led the way for the Knights on the scoresheet, tallying two goals while Philadelphia Flyers prospect Oliver Bonk had two assists in the win.
- Going pointless in the game marked the first time Cowan was held off the scoresheet since March 29 against the Saginaw Spirit (a span of seven games of having at least a singular point).
- Riley Mercer made 18 saves on 22 shots for the Voltigeurs and helped keep the game somewhat in check at times with the Knights getting some high-quality scoring chances.
What’s Next for Both Teams
The Voltigeurs have a quick turnaround, as they will face off against the Spirit (who are coming off an opening victory on May 24) on May 26 for a matchup with the second OHL representative in the Memorial Cup. The Knights get a day off as they will return to action to face off against the Western Hockey League champions, the Moose Jaw Warriors, on May 27.
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