London Knights forward Liam Foudy has been hot.
Coming into Saturday night’s game in Erie, he had scored 11 goals in 11 games but he cranked things up a couple degrees more as Foudy scored once in regulation and then fired home the game winner in overtime as the Knights edged the Otters 5-4.
“He’s been making good use of his speed,” London assistant coach Rick Steadman said. “He’s really been working hard from the moment he got here and it’s great to see it paying off for him like this.”
London trailed 2-0, 3-1 and had to fight through stretches where they could not seem to get the puck away from Erie in the defensive zone but the team stayed poised and patient and cashed in when the opportunities came.
After the Knights pulled even on a goal by Dalton Duhart in the second period, Erie found a way to pull back in front and force the Knights to press late to tie the game. That meant taking more chances and allowing defencemen to pinch in from the blue line. That helped create Andrew Perrot’s tying goal with just over three minutes remaining and to also open the door for Foudy in OT.
Jordan Kooy made 31 saves for London and picked up his eighth win of the year.
How the goals were scored
The goals came in pairs through the first two periods.
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The Erie Otters got an early jump, scoring twice in a 50-second span. Chad Yetman fired a shot from the slot past London goalie Jordan Kooy to make it 1-0 and then Patrick Fellows converted a centering pass from Maxim Golod to put Erie ahead 2-0.
That score held up until the 7:51 mark of the second period when Foudy netted his 12th goal in his 12th game, ripped a wrist shot high over Daniel Murphy on a London power play. That got the Knights to within a goal, but just 45 seconds later former Sarnia Sting forward, Troy Lajeunesse restored Erie’s two goal advantage.
London fought back once more as Dalton Duhart set up Shane Collins for his third goal of the year at 14:03 and then 36 seconds after that, Duhart scored his third goal of the season and tied the game 3-3.
Erie cashed in on a power play that carried over from the end of the second period to the start of the third as Lajeunesse tipped in an Owen Headrick shot for his second goal of the game and a 4-3 Otters lead.
The scored stayed that way until late in the game when London defenceman Andrew Perrott came off the left point, got the puck, cut to the net and lifted a shot inside the post with 3:04 remaining to tie things up.
In overtime, Evan Bouchard skated into the slot with the puck on his backhand and fed Foudy for his 19th goal of the year and the game winner as the Knights walked away with a 5-4 victory.
An assist to Neil Diamond
There is a long-standing tradition during Otters games that involves the London Knights. Like at most other hockey arenas, Neil Diamond’s, Sweet Caroline rings around the rink and the fans all sing. However, there is a twist in Erie. Instead of, “Sweet Caroline, buh, buh, buh”, Otters fans sing, “London su**s.” They sing the same London refrain, even when other teams are visiting. On Saturday, it played when Erie was leading 3-1 and seemed to spark the Knights, who outscored the Otters 4-1 in the game from that point on.
A baker’s dozen
Liam Foudy continued his goal avalanche in Erie. He scored twice and now has 13 goals in 12 games. Foudy is the reigning OHL Player of the Week and has five assists in that same time frame. He is now one goal away from 20 on the year.
Up next
The London Knights spend Family Day hanging out with one of their nearest and dearest rivals, the Windsor Spitfires. Heading into a game against Flint on Sunday, the Spitfires sit in eighth place in the Western Conference but they have picked up five of a possible six points in their last three games.
Coverage gets going at 1:30 p.m. on 980 CFPL, at www.980cfpl.ca and on the Radioplayer Canada app.
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