It likely took every bit of energy that the London Knights had left, but they worked their way to a 3-2 win in overtime on Sunday afternoon in Guelph.
The victory gave the Knights their third win in a span of 45 hours.
Knights’ second-year forward, Liam Foudy looked like he was threading a needle as he swooped around and through two Guelph Storm players and put a puck over Anthony Popovich for what was the game’s winning goal, his second goal of the afternoon, and Foudy’s ninth in his last nine games.
Knights assistant coach Dylan Hunter didn’t seem overly taken aback by what he saw Foudy do.
“He has been creating chances all year and for whatever reason they haven’t been going in like this,” explained Hunter. “Call it snake bitten, maybe? But he and Billy Moskal have been putting in the extra work after practice and now it is paying off.”
Moskal scored his third goal in three games. The last two have been key to the Knights’ wins. Moskal tied the game on a power play late in the second period on Saturday against Sudbury to give London a chance to go ahead in the third.
On Sunday, Moskal’s goal came 12 seconds after the Storm had gone up 2-1 with just over eight minutes remaining in regulation time.
“I think we were all pretty rattled, so I got the puck and just threw it on net and it went in and silnced the crowd and it has us pretty excited after that,” said Moskal.
Moskal, Foudy and linemate Nathan Dunkely combined for 83 per cent of London’s scoring in the three victories.
The Knights now have a 3-2 edge in the season series between the clubs, with one game left to go in London.
The Storm outshot the Knights 35-31, including 3-1 in OT.
London moved three points ahead of Guelph and Saginaw, putting a slightly tighter hold on fourth place in the Western Conference. All three of those teams got some help from the Ottawa 67s, who ended Owen Sound’s six-game winning streak. All four teams now sit separated by five points.
The Attack are up next for the London Knights.
How the goals were scored
Liam Foudy snapped home his eighth goal in nine games at 5:46 of the first period. A puck bounced to him in the Guelph end and for a moment Foudy looked as though he was going to pass, but then turned and fired a puck past Storm goaltender, Anthony Popovich for a 1-0 London lead.
St. Louis Blues’ prospect, Alexey Toropchenko tied the game with a low wrister just under three minutes later and the teams rode out the next 40-plus minutes at 1-1.
Londoner Isaac Ratcliffe broke that tie at 11:55 of the third period as he deflected a puck past Joseph Raaymakers to give Guelph a 2-1 edge.
Just 12 seconds after that, Billy Moskal came streaking down the left wing, crossed the blue line and ripped a wrist shot into the top right corner of the net to tie the game again.
The teams played their way to overtime and went just shy of four minutes before Foudy took control of the puck, cut in front of the net and potted the game winner. Popovich got a piece of the shot, but it dropped off his body and across the goal line, cuing a celebration for the Knights.
Now that was a weekend
Liam Foudy, Billy Moskal and Nathan Dunkley are all in their second year in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). They’re still all sophomore and no senior, but they are giving more than just glimpses of what they will become. Their line combined for 14 points in three games and scored 10 of the 12 goals the Knights needed to pick up six of a possible six points.
Bang(s) for his buck
Ryan Bangs was selected by the Knights in the 3rd round of the 2016 OHL Priority Selection. He has spent this season with the St. Thomas Stars of the GOJHL and has 19 points in 27 games. Bangs has also appeared in a handful of games with the London Knights and in his last four appearances, including Saturday against Sudbury, he has picked up a pair of assists. Bangs also scored a goal and added two assists for the St. Thomas Stars in their victory over the Lincolns in St. Marys on Sunday.
Up next
What could be more romantic than a meeting between the London Knights and the Owen Sound Attack? It happens on Valentine’s Day in Owen Sound. Typically, there is very little love lost between the teams, but they do find themselves huddled close together in the Western Conference standings in the quest for the fourth seed and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Coverage gets going at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday on 980 CFPL, at www.980cfpl.ca and on the Radioplayer Canada app.
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