Knights earn spot in MasterCard Memorial Cup final with win over Huskies

RED DEER, Alta. — The London Knights will skip the semifinal and head right to the championship game at the 2016 Memorial Cup after downing the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 5-2 on Tuesday.

Matthew Tkachuk, with two, JJ Piccinich, Christian Dvorak and Max Jones scored for the Knights (3-0). Mitch Marner added four assists and leads the tournament with 13 points in three games.

Timo Meier scored twice for the Huskies (1-2).

Tyler Parsons made 30 saves for the win. Chase Marchand stopped 20-of-24 shots in a losing cause.

London went 3 for 7 on the power play while Rouyn-Noranda scored twice on 10 chances with the man advantage.

Antoine Waked gifted the OHL champions a scoring opportunity just nine seconds into the game when he took a roughing minor while trying to get under the skin of a Knights skater after the whistle.

Jeremy Lauzon took another penalty minutes later and this time London made the QMJHL champions pay. Piccinich scored at 13:54, taking a feed out front of the net from Christian Dvorak to make it 1-0.

The Knights power play entered the game with six goals on just 13 opportunities.

Cliff Pu nearly made it 2-0 on a short-handed breakaway if it wasn’t for Marchand, who got his glove hand out on the snap shot up top.

Tkachuk doubled London’s lead with another power-play goal with 2:17 left in the first. Tkachuk was standing at the top of the crease and deflected an Olli Juolevi shot past Marchand.

Zachary Lauzon had to be helped off after being run into the end boards by Chandler Yakimowicz less than four minutes into the second period. Yakimowicz was handed a major and a game misconduct for checking from behind.

Gabriel Fontaine had the best scoring chance for Rouyn-Noranda on the power play, but Parsons got his right pad down to keep it 2-0 London.

Meier finally put the Huskies on the board at the midway point of the period while on the power play after snapping the puck through traffic over Parsons’ glove hand.

Marner used his patience to set up London’s third goal at 17:28, while shorthanded. Marner was able to get Marchand to commit before sliding the puck cross crease to Jones, who had a wide-open net for the finish.

Tkachuk landed awkwardly late in the second and hobbled to the bench, but was back on his regular line to start the third period.

Dvorak made it 4-1 with London’s third power-play goal of the evening at 6:26 of the third, chipping in a rebound from the side of the net after Tkachuk put the puck on goal from between the circles.

Meier made it a 4-2 score with his second goal of the game at 7:59 while on the power play. The goal needed a video review before it was confirmed.

Tkachuk added another into an empty net for London in the final minute.