Connor McMichael had a four-point afternoon for the London Knights as his team knocked off the Erie Otters 5-3 on Sunday afternoon ahead of a 12-day break from games.
The Knights scored four second-period goals and finished off a second home ice win this weekend.
Nathan Dunkley, Sahil Panwar and Will Lochead also hit the score sheet for London as the Knights improved their record at Budweiser Gardens to 15-2.
London leads the OHL in goals for and goals against per game.
Since October 27, the Knights have lost once in regulation and once in a shootout and currently have the highest winning percentage in the league.
How the goals were scored
The Otters opened the scoring just 1:12 into the first period. Kyle Maksimovich stole a puck at his own blue line and raced down the ice. While his shot was stopped by London goaltender Joseph Raaymakers, Maxim Golod followed the play to the net and chipped in a rebound to make it 1-0 for Erie.
McMichael took advantage of another Mac Attack promotion at Budweiser Gardens later in the period to tie the game 1-1. If the Knights score during a designated two-minute window, everyone in the building receives a Big Mac, and McMichael has made it happen five times this year. Tonio Stranges got to a puck on the left side of the Erie zone and whipped it at the net, sending the puck off McMichael and in.
Just 2:57 into the second period, McMichael banked a puck off Dunkley and into the Otter net to put the Knights ahead 2-1.
Lochead scored on a power play just under four minutes later, recording his second goal in two games to give London a two-goal advantage. McMichael added an assist for his third point of the game.
Panwar made it 4-1 for the Knights at 15:42 with his second career OHL goal.
McMichael added his second goal and fourth point on a tap-in during another London power play with just 2.7 seconds left in the second period, and the Knights went to the dressing room ahead by four.
Erie tightened things up in the third period with goals from Chad Yetman and Gera Poddubnyi, but the Knights held on.
Going streaking (or not)
A few lengthy streaks ended before the holiday break began. The Ottawa 67’s were unbeaten in regulation through 23 games before losing to the Gatineau Olympiques on Dec. 7. The Knights saw a 15-game winning streak end in Owen Sound the next day but rebounded to collect five of a possible six points in their final three games before the break. The Sudbury Wolves had a nine-game winning streak stopped by the Mississauga Steelheads on Dec. 16. Owen Sound and Niagara can fight it out for hottest team in the OHL heading into the break: the IceDogs are 7-0-1 in their past eight games and the Attack have won five in a row.
Up next
The Knights head into the holiday break with a record of 23-5-2-1. They will have a 12-day rest and then return to Budweiser Gardens on Dec. 28 to host the Windsor Spitfires. London has won two of three games against Windsor this season. The Knights will then play a home-and-home against the Sting in Sarnia on Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. and in London on Dec. 31 at 4 p.m.
All games can be heard on 980 CFPL, at http://www.980cfpl.ca and on the Radioplayer Canada app.
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