Heartbreaking end to Memorial Cup Final for NY Islanders prospect Isaiah George and the London Knights

2024 Memorial Cup - Final
2024 Memorial Cup - Final / Nic Antaya/GettyImages

It was a fairy tale season for NY Islanders prospect Isaiah George and the London Knights that unfortunately did not have a happy ending.

The Knights bullied their way through the OHL season, finishing as the league's top team during the regular season. That success continued through the playoffs, losing just two games as they captured the OHL title, advancing to the Memorial Cup.

The Memorial Cup began just as the OHL season ended with London overmatching their opponents and advancing to the finals. There they'd meet the host team, the Saginaw Spirit, who took two games off the Knights during the OHL's Western Conference Finals.

The Knights picked an awful time to play their worst game of the season, trailing 3-0 midway through the second period, recording just a single shot on goal through 30 minutes.

The Knights found the scoresheet with 10:15 remaining in the second period and headed into the final frame trailing by two.

London knotted things up with 9:44 remaining in the final frame, dominating play and looking like they'd find a way to score the next goal and leave as Memorial Cup champions.

Things didn't end up as planned for London, as Joshua Bloom found the back of the net for Saginaw with just 22 seconds remaining, as the host team hoisted the Memorial Cup in front of their home fans.

Isaiah George finished the Memorial Cup with one assist, as his junior career has ended. Signing his entry-level contract in September, George will attend Islanders training camp and will likely begin the season with the Bridgeport Islanders in the AHL.

As a left-handed defenseman, there isn't much room on the NHL roster for a player like George to make the immediate jump. Still, if he continues to impress at camp as he has in the past, Lou Lamoriello may be more willing to move a current blue liner to fit in the young defenseman.