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Attack end London Knights’ season with 2-1 win at Budweiser Gardens

Flip a coin four times and see if you can make it come up tails each time.

It isn’t easy.

Doing it would give you the sense of what the Owen Sound Attack accomplished in a first-round series with the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League’s Western Conference quarterfinals.

The Attack won all four games in the series by one goal. Two of those wins came in overtime.

The results moved Owen Sound into the second round and it ended the 2017-18 season for the Knights.

When asked about how the series unfolded, Knights captain Evan Bouchard looked at one ingredient in particular that the Attack had, that London was only acquiring as the series wore on.

“They are an older group. They know what it takes to win,” stated Bouchard. “That’s something that we may not have had, but I think coming into next year [this season’s playoff experience] will be really good for us.”
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Bouchard is expected to be a very high pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft in June in Dallas.

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Liam Foudy, Alec Regula, Nathan Dunkley and Billy Moskal have also seen their names in draft rankings and all are eligible to be selected.

How the goals were scored

With the Attack killing a penalty, a puck was flipped high in the air by Nick Suzuki and Kevin Hancock caught up to it and went in on a breakaway. He moved across the crease and then lifted a wrist shot inside the goal post to open the scoring.

Hancock scored his second goal on a power play at 15:19 of the second period to put Owen Sound ahead 2-0.

The Knights cut the Attack lead in half at 10:20 of the third period as Alex Formenton dropped a pass to Foudy and he snapped a shot between the legs of Olivier Lafreniere to make it 2-1. Formenton ended the series with five goals and two assists to lead London.

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Graduates

Victor Mete proved in September that graduation from junior hockey doesn’t always have to come at the end of a player’s eligibility, but the Knights do have two players who will definitely be moving on. Tyler Rollo split his career between Peterborough and London, finishing his overage season with the Knights and Shane Collins took a winding road east from Prince George to become only the second Saskatchewan-born player to suit up in a London uniform. Both played key roles as veterans throughout the year in helping young players learn what it takes to be successful.

Up next

The 2018 OHL Priority Selection happens on April 9, beginning at 9 a.m. A special two-hour draft show will air on Global News Radio 980 CFPL from noon until 2 p.m. You will also be able to hear it at www.980cfpl.ca and on the Radioplayer Canada app.

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