Cowan racked up his first two assists of the tournament on Monday night against the Moose Jaw Warriors, including a helper on the game-winning goal that lifted the Knights to a 2-0-0-0 record.
Easton Cowan has arrived.
The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect was instrumental in the London Knights’ 5-4 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors Monday night, tacking on his first two points of the tournament with two big-time assists – helping to improve the team to a 2-0-0-0 record in round-robin action.
After he was held off the scoresheet for just the seventh time this season in the team’s opening 4-0 tournament victory against the Drummondville Voltigeurs Saturday, the OHL regular season and Playoff MVP orchestrated the go-ahead goal in the second period.
In just nine seconds from the moment he had the puck on his stick, skating end-to-end, Cowan maneuvered around Warriors forward Rilen Kovacevic before finding Max McCue who would feed Sam O’Reilly for a nifty goal – restoring London’s one-goal lead, putting them in front 3-2.
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Building on the moment of a shorthanded goal by Landon Sim three minutes and 45 seconds later, Cowan and the Knights would capitalize on their lethal powerplay, extending their second-period lead to 5-2 – with the ‘Cowboy’ showcasing his playmaking abilities, assisting on the game-winning goal.
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Cowan’s two assists were a result of a second-period eruption, which saw the Knights score three unanswered goals in just over seven minutes of action, quickly jumping ahead to a 5-2 lead.
Though the Warriors cut the lead to 5-3 heading into the final frame, and would strike once more in the third period, London was able to cease most offensive activity the Warriors attempted to throw at them – in a game the opposition deeply coveted to comeback and win.
Selected by the Leafs in the first round (28th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft, Cowan looked like his MVP self with a memorable performance, helping to lift his team to a crucial victory and tying them with their OHL counterparts atop the Memorial Cup standings, the Saginaw Spirit.
As both OHL teams took down the WHL and QMJHL Champions, they will face off against one another on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET in the final game of the Memorial Cup round-robin. Both teams already have a guaranteed berth in the semifinals, but the team that emerges victorious will get a guaranteed spot in the Memorial Cup Final.
