Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck was on fire and carried the Saginaw Spirit to victory in the Memorial Cup final on Sunday night at the DOW Event Center.
The host team of the prestigious tournament won 4 to 3 against the London Knights. Beck scored twice, in addition to winning with numerous shoulder strikes.
However, it was Josh Bloom who played the hero with 21 seconds left in the third period. The game-winning goal came after the Knights overcame a 3-0 deficit.
Beck scored twice in the first period, while Joey Willis scored the third winner early in the second period.
Owen Beck scores first in the final –
A double for Owen Beck in the final –
The Knights opened their score in the second, via the stick of Kasper Halttunen. Easton Cowan and Sam Dickinson then brought everyone back to square one with goals scored in the last period.
The losers were limited to just 13 shots, including six in the first 40 minutes, on goalie Andrew Oke. At the other end of the ice, Michael Simpson faced 31 shots.
Coming back to Beck, the 20-year-old Ontarian concluded his tournament with four goals and an assist for five points in as many games. The Spirit acquired the Peterborough Petes last January. The organization had given up 16-year-old winger Aiden Young, two second-round draft picks (2025 and 2027), as well as a third-round selection (2026).
By winning the Memorial Cup, the Spirit became the third American team playing in the Canadian Hockey League to lift the precious trophy. The other two teams are the Portland Winter Hawks (1983 and 1998) and the Spokane Chiefs (1991 and 2008).
Today’s clash was also the fifth final in the history of the tournament between two teams from the Ontario Junior Hockey League and it was a first triumph for this circuit since 2017.
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