Tonio Stranges set up Luke Evangelista for the game winner in the third period as the London Knights knocked off Owen Sound 3-1 at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre on Wednesday night.
The goal saw the two of the three most recent Ontario Hockey League Players of the Week combine to give London their eighth victory in their last 11 games. The goal by Evangelista broke a streak of four consecutive game-winning goals by Stranges.
London now has 60 points on the year and sits just two points back of the Flint Firebirds for first place in the Western Conference. The Knights have four games in hand on the Firebirds at the moment.
London’s Landon Sim opened the scoring with his ninth goal of the season in the first period after Brett Brochu settled down a dump-in and flung a pass up the left side. Sim got around a check and went to the net where he snapped a shot through the legs of Attack goalie Nick Chenard. Brochu picked up the assist and now has six assists on the season.
Owen Sound tied the game with under four minutes remaining in the first period when St. Marys, Ont., native Sam Sedley sent the puck into a crowd in front of the London goal. Brochu found it and stopped it but the rebound went right to Cedric Guindon and he scored to tie the game 1-1 going to the first intermission.
The teams went scoreless through the second period despite both sides getting power play chances.
Ben Bujold of the Knights was assessed a five-minute major for boarding but London killed off the penalty hardly giving up a shot.
Owen Sound defenceman Igor Chibrikov took back-to-back minor penalties near the end of the period but the Attack managed to hold off the Knights.
The score remaining tied until London found themselves on a 5-on-3 man advantage and Stranges sent a pass from the high slot to the left side for Evangelista and he blasted home his 37th goal of the season to put the Knights up 2-1 at 12:45 of the third period.
Camaryn Baber added an empty-net goal with 1:18 remaining and London improved to a perfect 8-0 against Owen Sound this season.
Evangelista assisted on the final goal of the game and has 16 points against the Attack in those eight games.
Stranges named OHL Player of the Week
Five goals and three assists in three games have earned Knights forward Tonio Stranges OHL Player of the Week honours.
Stranges was key to all three London victories over Guelph, Sault Ste. Marie and Erie. He scored the game winning goal in each of those wins. The Dallas Stars prospect has hit a new level offensively since the calendar turned to 2022. He has 26 points in 18 games but has credited attention to detail on defence as a key.
“Defence first,” he smiled. “I’m just trying my best to play all-around.”
Stranges was a plus-five over the week as well.
Leafs, Jackets and Knights
When the Toronto Maple Leafs played the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night they seemed like the only two teams on the ice. But if you looked closely at the lineups, it was almost as if another team could emerge. Players who had played for or been drafted by the London Knights factored into the scoring all game.
It started when Mitch Marner made a pass to open the scoring that will be seen on highlight reels for a long time. Marner cut to the slot but got tripped up and began to fall. While seemingly suspended in the air he dished the puck to Michael Bunting at the side of the net for a tap-in and the Maple Leafs led 1-0.
Zach Werenski was a draft pick of the Knights in 2013 and while he never played in London, he played a prominent role in the game against Toronto. He assisted on the first goal by Columbus to tie the game and also assisted on the game winner in overtime. Both goals were scored by Patrik Laine.
After the Leafs went ahead 2-1 before the end of the second period, former Knights defenceman Adam Boqvist tied the game 2-2 early in the third period on a wrist shot that saw him go end to end untouched. Six minutes later, Columbus took a 3-2 lead but Toronto captain John Tavares assisted on the tying goal by Jason Spezza. Tavares finished his OHL career with in London in 2009.
Count them up and that is four ex-Knights who factored into the scoring but it doesn’t end there. Max Domi, who spent four seasons in London, and Jack Roslovic who was a draft pick of the Knights also played in the game bringing that number to six. Throw in Mossley, Ont., native Boone Jenner and out of 38 players who played, seven of them had local connections.
Up next
The Knights will stay on the road and play back-to-back games in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., on Friday, Feb. 25 and Saturday, Feb. 26. The trip will be the only one London will make to the Sault this season.
So far the teams have combined to score a whole lot in games against each other with 24 goals in just two meetings.
The Knights have won both games by scores of 7-4 and 8-5.
The Greyhounds currently sit in second place in the West Division and just like London they are trying to catch the Flint Firebirds for first place overall in the Western Conference.
Coverage will begin at 6:30 for both games in Sault Ste. Marie and can be heard on 980 CFPL, at www.980cfpl.ca and on the Radioplayer Canada app.
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