Denver Barkey and Ryan Del Monte each scored a goal in regulation and one in the shootout as the London Knights edged the Erie Otters 3-2 on Friday night at Budweiser Gardens.
The victory improved the Knights pre-season record to 3-0.
Del Monte was playing his first game in a London uniform after being acquired from the Barrie Colts on Sept. 21.
Barkey scored the only goal of the first 40 minutes as he scooped up a loose puck on the Knights side of the red line as London was short-handed and raced the other way. The former Toronto Titan skated into the slot and snapped a shot over the blocker of Marshall Nichols in the Erie net at the 12:59 mark of the first period.
Things changed quickly in the third period as a dump-in off the opening faceoff took a funny hop off the end boards behind the London net and the puck wound up on the stick of Elias Cohen. The veteran Erie forward backhanded it under Brett Brochu to tie the game 1-1.
Just 33 seconds later, Sean McGurn found Del Monte going to the net to put the Knights back in front 2-1.
At the 13:54 mark of the third period Noah Sedore wired a shot high off the post and past Brochu to tie the game and eventually send it to a shootout. Teams do not play overtime in the pre-season.
From there, goals by Del Monte and Barkey and two saves from Brochu gave London the win.
Brochu made 26 stops in all. Marshall Nichols made 19 saves for the Otters.
With players away at National Hockey League training camps, the Knights went 13 days between pre-season games. That time gave the London coaching staff a chance to work with the younger players.
Max McCue, Liam Gilmartin, Isaiah George, Landon Sim, Bryce Montgomery, Logan Mailloux and Jackson Edward remain away with their respective NHL clubs.
The Knights and Otters on will meet again on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. in Clinton, Ont., with proceeds going to support the Huron Residential Hospice.
London will open the regular season on Sept. 30 against the Owen Sound Attack at Budweiser Gardens at 7 p.m.
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