Mississauga Reps vs. London Jr. Knights | Reps win 3-1

The Mississauga Reps punched their ticket to their first ever OHL Cup Final after an impressive 3-1 upset win over the London Jr. Knights.

After a three-point effort against the Toronto Jr. Canadiens in the quarter-finals, Reps Jamieson Rees scored twice to lift the his team past the Knights in a thrilling OHL Cup semi-final matchup.

With both teams trading huge hits, the Knights struck first with a wrist shot off the stick of Liam Van Loon 11 minutes into the second period, giving the Knights the 1-0 lead.

Just under two minutes later, Rees got the Reps on the board with a squeaker past Owen Say to even the game up at one. Rees would later add his second of game off an individual effort, beating both Knights defenseman, and going high glove on Say.

The Reps kept relentless pressure on the Knights, eventually leading to a power play goal from Thomas Munro with 23 seconds left in the second.

Reps goaltender Ryan Dugas shut the door in convincing fashion in the third, making 43 saves on 44 shots, including a late penalty shot in the dying seconds of the third period.

Rees said sticking to their own system would eventually get them the win after the Knights started to add pressure late in the game.

“If they hit we got to hit back,” Rees said. “We got to play up to their level even higher and that’s what we did. We didn’t let their goal shut us down, we kept on playing and it all worked out.”

After two rough games on Saturday, Rees said the Reps are looking forward to a much-needed day off before Mondays Finals.

The Reps will look to continue their roll into the finals as the take on the Toronto Young Nationals at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in downtown Toronto.

Toronto Young Nationals vs. Vaughan Kings | Nats win 2-1

Timely goals and excellent goaltending pushed the Toronto Young Nationals to their first OHL Cup Final since 2003 after a 2-1 victory over the Vaughn Kings.

After defeating the Whitby Wildcats in the quarter-finals, the Nats were looking for a big game out of their goaltending.

The Nats got off to a quick start, scoring just under three minutes into the game with Bradley Somers finishing on a great feed from Stephen Smyte.

Drew Ferris countered for the Kings, throwing a shot on net to tie the game up at one.

Somers would strike again with just over two minutes left to go in the first, scoring his second of the game to give the Nats the lead headings into the second.

Nats goaltender Zachary Roy stood on his head for his team with some exceptional goaltending, finishing the game with 25 saves on 26 shots.

“You can’t allow an early goal and give them early momentum,” said Roy. “Keep everything calm, have good rebound control.”

Roy credits the great defense in front of him for the terrific effort and points to them as the main reason for their OHL Cup birth.

“They’re amazing,” he said. “So many blocked shots from every game, without them we wouldn’t be making it on to the finals.”

The Nationals will take on the Mississauga Reps in a GTHL on GTHL final on Monday.