Saginaw Spirit wins 2024 Memorial Cup, first in team history

They wanted London, they got London, and they beat London.

Thanks to a goal in the dying seconds of regulation from Vancouver Canucks prospect Josh Bloom, the Saginaw Spirit beat the London Knights, 4-3, to win the franchise’s first Memorial Cup.

The Spirit played one of its best games of the season, but almost let it slip away. The hosts had a 3-0 lead by the early stages of the second period, and were heavily outplaying the Knights, holding the OHL champions to just one shot on goal for over 30 minutes.

However, London rallied by scoring three unanswered goals to tie the game. They had all the momentum as the minutes ticked down in regulation. However, late in the third, Jordan Donovan–and Ottawa Senators prospect–took a shot that was deflected on its way to the London net. It trickled behind Michael Simpson, with Bloom tapping the puck across the line with just 21.7 seconds left.

It was a historic win on many fronts. Not only was it the Spirit’s first Memorial Cup win in their first appearance, but it is the first time a team from Michigan has won the Cup. Saginaw also became the first-ever U.S.-based team from the Ontario Hockey League to win the title, becoming the fifth American team to take home the trophy–first since the Spokane Chiefs in 2008.

The Spirit are the 12th host to win the Memorial Cup since the tournament’s current format was adopted in 1983.

Bloom had arguably one of the best games of his junior hockey career, registering two assists in the win as well. It was a full-circle moment for the former Spirit captain, who was traded to the North Bay Battalion last season. After starting the season with the Canucks’ minor league affiliates in Abbotsford and Kalamazoo, he returned to Saginaw and was a key player throughout the postseason.

The Spirit had struggled recently against the Knights, losing to London in six games in the OHL Western Conference Final, and dropping the final round-robin game last Wednesday. Bloom admitted all the factors heading into Sunday night made the win extra sweet.

“There’s no words right now,” Bloom told TSN’s Julia Tocheri right after the game. “It’s probably the biggest goal I’ve ever scored in my career, kind of emotional just thinking about it. The battle that these guys have gone through all season long, having our hearts broken to [London] in the conference final, having our hearts ripped out of our chest and smashed into a million pieces. We found a way to put it back together, and we’re champs.”

Bloom finished tied for third in tournament scoring with six points in five games.

Owen Beck was given the Stafford Smythe Memorial Award as tournament MVP. The Montreal Canadiens prospect was on the Peterborough Petes team that lost in the tournament semifinal last year, and was traded to Saginaw with the purpose of helping get the team over the hump. The 20-year-old came in clutch, scoring twice in the championship game and registering four goals and an assist in the tournament.

“This city’s come behind us,” Beck said. “It’s been a fantastic experience, and this tournament…it’s one of a kind. Just getting to play in it last year was such an honor, and to win it on this stage at home in front of our home crowd…man, it’s going to go down in the history books.”

Donovan was another Spirit player who made the most of his second chance at the Memorial Cup. He was on the Hamilton Bulldogs team that lost to the Saint John Sea Dogs in the 2022 Final.

The Spirit had its best start of the tournament, taking advantage of a Knights team playing its first game in four days. They came out flying, laying the body and immediately placing London on its heels.

Their early pressure was rewarded just before the halfway mark of the first period, As a faceoff win by Bloom led to Beck rifling a shot by Simpson, giving the hosts the early lead.

The Spirit would receive another glorious opportunity late in the period. With just a couple of minutes to go, Saginaw defenseman Zayne Parekh was caught with a high hit by London’s Landon Sim. After a brief review, it was determined Sim’s hit to the head was enough to receive a five-minute major and a game misconduct. Saginaw made quick work on the power play, as Bloom found Beck for his second of the game.

The Spirit only managed to score once on the major power play, but that did not slow down their attack. An errant London pass, a result of the Spirit’s relentless swarming of the puck, led to Nashville Predators draft pick Joey Willis scoring his second of the tournament.

However, London started to claw their way back. Kasper Halttunen—a San Jose Sharks prospect—beat Andrew Oke for his fourth in Saginaw just past the halfway mark of the second.

Minutes into the third period, not long after a huge save by Simpson, draft-eligible defenseman Sam Dickinson went on an end-to-end rush that led to Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan sneaking a shot through traffic to get London within one.

Then, just over two minutes later, Dickinson would get a goal of his own, tying the game at three.

The Spirit outshot the Knights, 31-13, and led the count 24-6 through 40 minutes. Simpson, who was with Beck on the Peterborough team in Kamloops last year, made 27 saves in the losing effort. Saginaw’s Andrew Oke needed to make just 10 saves to pick up the win.

Cowan ended up leading the tournament with eight points in four games.

Parekh and Anaheim Ducks prospect Rodwin Dionicio finished the Memorial Cup with a goal and four assists each, while 2025 draft-eligible prospect Michael Misa finished tied with Cowan and Oliver Bonk for the most assists (5).