Memorial Cup Game 3 Reactions: Oil Kings Down Host London Knights

The well rested London Knights were supposed to be a real challenge for teams coming off gruelling playoff series’, however that has not been the case. Last night the host London Knights fell to 0-2 in the Memorial Cup, as the Edmonton Oil Kings got their first win of the tournament.

The Oil Kings managed to squeak 5 past the shaky goaltending of the Knights which was all Tristan Jarry needed to deliver their

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first win. Once again we’re going to look at a few quick facts from this game for both teams.

• Heading into the tournament the biggest question mark for the London Knights was their goaltender. Jake Patterson had not been stellar and there was no telling whether or not he could get the job done for the Knights. With the shaky netminder, the Knights started Anthony Stolarz in game 2. Stolarz was not sharp and was pulled after allowing 3 on 30 shots after the second. Patterson came in and played quite well to his credit. While you can argue about whether good goaltending wins you games, you can’t argue that bad goaltending can lose you games.
• Curtis Lazar was held off the scoresheet in game number two while Luke Bertolucci and Edgars Kulda netted two goals in the win. Once the Oil Kings net a few goals their defence is able to takeover and frustrated the Knights.
• Tristan Jarry was stellar between the pipes for the Oil Kings, bouncing back from a less than impressive game one loss. He made 38 saves on the night and shut down the Knights offence.
• Shots have not been a problem for the Knight through their first two games, getting those shots to find twine has been a problem. The Knights have netted just 2 goals in the tournament despite registering over 90 shots on their opponents. Goaltending is a huge factor, but the goalies they’ve run into haven’t been that good.