There are times when you watch or stream a hockey game from the comfort of your couch and you think you see a goal being scored. You find out a few seconds later that what you were paying attention to was a replay.
After all, it is rare to see two goals scored by the same player, in the same way, in the same game.
Evan Bouchard and Liam Foudy made it happen on Friday night in Sudbury as they propelled the London Knights to a 5-1 victory over the Sudbury Wolves.
Bouchard scored twice on the power play from the exact same spot on the ice as he walked to the top of the right circle in the Sudbury zone and wristed a shot into the top corner of the Sudbury net.
Foudy scored his goals in the same way as well. He flew down the wing, cut around a defenceman and lifted the puck into the back of the net in the first and second periods.
Both players were on the ice on a late third-period power play, but neither one really got a good chance to complete the hat trick.
Still, the win improved the Knights’ record to 9-1-0-1 in their last 11 games and 7-1-0-1 with players away at the World Junior Hockey Championship.
Jordan Kooy made 23 saves in net for London.
The Knights have now won four in a row and will complete their northern road trip on Sunday afternoon.
How the goals were scored
Things rolled along very evenly between the teams early. Each team had five shots on goal through the first 10 minutes. The Wolves went to the power play and then the Knights went to the power play and it was on that man advantage that the game changed.
London pounded six shots at Jake McGrath in the Sudbury net and he stopped the first five, but the sixth was a rocket from Bouchard that found the top corner to the stick side of McGrath and London led 1-0.
Less than two minutes later, the Knights went ahead 2-0 as one Liam blew by another. London’s Liam Foudy scored his first of the game as he came across the Wolves’ blue line with some speed and went around Liam Ross of Sudbury, cut to the net and put the puck high and in.
Before the end of the first period, David Levin cut the Knights’ lead in half as he banged in a centering feed from Ilderton native, Shane Bulitka to make it 2-1.
London stretched their lead in period two as Tyler Rollo stripped the puck away from Levin just inside the Knights’ line and zipped a pass ahead to Sam Miletic, who went in alone and scored his 14th goal of the year and London led 3-1.
Foudy’s second of the game was similar to his first as he used his speed to the outside, moved to the Wolves’ net and put the puck high over McGrath to give the Knights a 4-1 advantage through 40 minutes.
Bouchard scored an exact replica of his first goal on a power play early in the third period as he took a feed at the right point, walked into the top of the right faceoff circle and found the top corner to make it 5-1.
Golden Knights
Team Canada captured gold at the World Junior Hockey Championship with a 3-1 win over Sweden. Knights captain Robert Thomas, forward Alex Formenton, head of security Bob Martin and defenceman Victor Mete were all a part of the team. The Montreal Canadiens now must decide whether to recall him or assign him to London.
Jones and Team USA win bronze
For the first time at the World Junior Hockey Championship, Team USA medalled in three consecutive tournaments. They won bronze in 2016, gold in 2017 and pounded the Czech Republic 9-3 to win bronze in 2018. Max Jones had a goal and an assist in the tournament.
World Junior trade freeze about to end
Junior players cannot be traded while they are away at the World Junior tournament. Teams can begin to submit trades for approval at 9 a.m. the day after the end of the championship. The overage trade deadline in the Ontario Hockey League is Jan. 9. The deadline to trade all other players is Jan. 10.
Up next
London will visit the North Bay Battalion on Sunday afternoon. The pre-game show gets going at 1:30 p.m. on 980 CFPL. Following that, the Knights return home on Thursday, Jan. 11 against the Kitchener Rangers. Game time is 7 p.m. at Budweiser Gardens and the first 5,000 fans through the doors will receive a London Knights poster calendar.
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