Goals came in power play propelled bursts in Oshawa on Sunday night as the Generals defeated the London Knights 5-4.
The game saw six goals scored in total on the man advantage. Each team had three.
”The game can really turn one way or the other on power plays,” said Knights’ forward Max Jones. “We scored that way, but you have to be good on the (penalty kill) and at even strength to have that complete game.”
The Generals scored twice on the power play and once at even strength in the first period to erase a 1-0 London lead and lead 3-1 through 20 minutes.
The Knights’ had opened the scoring on Cole Tymkin’s first goal of the season, set up by Robert Thomas and Richard Whittaker, who took a big hit in centre ice to get the puck into the Generals’ zone.
London’s power play turned the game back their way in the second as they scorched the Generals with three goals on the man advantage in a span of just 2:04 after 5-on-4 was turned into a 5-on-3 when Renars Krastenbergs caught Thomas with a high stick and received a double minor.
Thomas went to the bench for a quick repair and then 17 seconds after the puck dropped in the Oshawa end, he cut through the high slot and fired a shot over the shoulder of Generals’ goaltender, Logan Gauthier. That was followed up by bang-bang goals from Jones in just over a minute on a deke and a bullet of a shot that hit the back bar under the crossbar and came right out.
At that point, the Knights had jumped back in front by a goal, 4-3.
London had another power play chance later in the period as Krastenbergs went back to the penalty box, but Oshawa killed it off and a turnover at the Generals’ blue line sprung the Latvian winger as he stepped back on the ice and he flew down the wing and beat Jordan Kooy with a wrist shot to the glove side at 17:09.
Seconds later, London found themselves down one man and then another after back-to-back penalties and Nick Wong struck for the second time in the game, netting what stood up as the game-winner.
“I thought we took some penalties we shouldn’t have in the second,” said Knights’ assistant coach Dylan Hunter. “They were the kind that put you down and get the guys tired who are doing the (penalty) killing.”
Wong has been the Kareem Hunt of the OHL, early on in the 2017-18 regular season. While Hunt, a third-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs, has been tearing up the National Football League, Wong, who was taken with the 38th overall choice in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection has been doing the same things as a 16-year old with the Generals. He now leads the league in goals with seven through five games.
London pushed through the third period to tie, but could not make it happen.
As a veteran, Jones knows the first part of any major junior season is a process and says the Knights will head into practice this week with a focus on the little things that help teams to be successful.
“I think that’s the big thing we’re missing right now. We’re just getting ahead of ourselves and the little things become the things that matter and we’re just not doing them.”
London is waiting to find out about a few players still away with NHL teams.
Victor Mete had a goal and an assist in his final pre-season game with Montreal on Saturday.
Alex Formenton survived three more cuts in Ottawa on Sunday and with injuries still an issue among forwards in Ottawa, he may have earned an opening night spot.
Jesper Bratt may have done the same in New Jersey.
Then, there is Sam Miletic in the American Hockey League in Wilkes-Barre, Brandon Crawley in the AHL in Hartford and the mystery that is the next destination of Olli Juolevi.
He will not stick with the Canucks and by the CHL-NHL agreement, would normally come right back to the London Knights, where he was when Vancouver drafted him. Options are being looked into by the Canucks as to whether he might be able to go to Europe for the year. So far, nothing definitive has been announced.
The Knights were without Liam Foudy against Oshawa. He went hard into the boards on Friday night against Kingston and took warm-up on Sunday, but did not play.
Knights’ goalie Tyler Johnson missed the game for personal reasons. Zach Springer of the London Nationals served as London’s backup.
The Knights will host the Soo Greyhounds on Friday night at 7:30 at Budweiser Gardens. London travels to Erie on Saturday.
Comments