The line of Connor McMichael, Nathan Dunkley and Matvey Guskov combined for three goals as the London Knights defeated the Windsor Spitfires 5-2 at Budweiser Gardens on Friday night.
For two periods the game flowed back and forth and then the Knights broke a tie early in the third period and never looked back.
London had six rookies in the lineup, three nineteen year olds and one twenty-year-old.
Despite the staunch rivalry between the teams, the game featured just two penalties. Both went to Windsor, giving London a completely clean sheet.
The Knights ended up outshooting the Spitfires 38-26.
How the goals were scored
Tonio Stranges of the Knights racked up three shots on goal in the first three and a half minutes of his OHL career, but it was Windsor who found the back of the net first. Daniel D’Amico banged in a rebound at the four-minute mark of the first period to give the Spitfires a 1-0 lead.
Just 31 seconds later, the Knights tied it on a rebound of their own. Windsor goalie Michael DiPietro stopped Matvey Guskov’s shot but Connor McMichael was there to score his first of two goals on the night.
Early in the second period Tyler Angle put the Spitfires back in front 2-1 as he crossed the London blue line and wristed a puck past Knights goalie Jordan Kooy.
The score sat that way until the late stages of the second when Nathan Dunkley squeezed his way down the left side of the Windsor zone and then fed McMichael in front and the Ajax native got the puck up and over DiPietro to tie the game a second time.
The third period belonged to the Knights. Matvey Guskov got his stick on a double-deflection after a shot by Matthew Timms was tipped by Nathan Dunkley. For Guskov, it was goal number one in the Ontario Hockey League and it gave London a 3-2 lead.
Billy Moskal scored to put the Knights ahead by two seconds after a London power play had ended and then Cole Tymkin rolled a puck down the ice and into an empty Windsor net to close out the scoring and an opening night victory.
The boys in the big league
Five London Knights remain with National Hockey League teams. Evan Bouchard has played over 22 minutes in each of two pre-season games. He has scored a goal, he has assisted on a Connor McDavid goal and he is a plus-5. As far as report cards go, that’s a few A-pluses. It’s early, but with that kind of a beginning, Bouchard is earning a long look at training camp.
Alex Formenton started last year in Ottawa with the Senators. He played the Hockeyville game in Lucan and caused questions to be asked like, “Is that as close as he will get to playing in London this year?” Senators’ coach, Guy Boucher, has already proclaimed that the King City native, “has McDavid-type of speed.” Throw in the fact that Ottawa owner Eugene Melnyk more than hinted that the Senators could have as many as ten rookies in the lineup and Formenton is also a guy set for a long look.
Adam Boqvist is in Chicago. An article by Austin Siegel on chicagoblackhawks.com this week stated that, “While Boqvist may be out of time with the Blackhawks, as he’s expected to report to the London Knights…” his timetable may have changed. Chicago defenceman Connor Murphy has a back injury and could miss three months. Will that cause the ‘Hawks to start Boqvist in the NHL and if he starts there, will he stay there? Both are valid questions.
Liam Foudy and goaltender Joseph Raaymakers remain with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Raaymakers is a 20-year-old impressed at the Traverse City tournament and again in a period of work in pre-season, where he stopped every shot he faced. Raaymakers is a free agent and playing for a contract. Foudy also impressed in Traverse City after he became the Jackets’ first round pick in 2018. He played in the same game that Raaymakers did and scored Columbus’ fourth goal of the game.
Pre-season points
Matvey Guskov led the Knights in pre-season scoring with a goal and five assists. His goal came in Sarnia as part of a six-goal second period that brought London back from a 2-0 deficit with a very young lineup. Tonio Stranges had four goals in three games that included a two-goal effort in Komoka in London’s pre-season finale against the Erie Otters. One of those goals was a spin-around backhand that had more than a few fans turning to the person beside them in the stands and shaking their heads.
Rookie debuts
Luke Evangelista, Tonio Stranges, Sahil Panwar, Matvey Gusko, Gerard Keane and Vladislav Kolyachonok all made their first regular season appearances in a London Knights uniform. That’s a long list, but soon to be a very distinguished one.
Next up
The Knights’ schedule is quiet for a calendar week. They will host the defending Western Conference champion Soo Greyhounds on September 28, at Budweiser Gardens and then play their first road game in Flint against the Firebirds on September 29. Both games will be available on 980 CFPL, at www.980cfpl.ca and on the RadioPlayer Canada app beginning at 6:30 p.m. with the pre-game show.
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