Sometimes all you need is one… and 35 saves.
Mark Duarte of the Soo Greyhounds scored the lone goal of the game in the first period and Greyhound goaltender Charlie Schenkel stopped 35 London shots as Sault Ste. Marie edged the Knights 1-0 on Friday night at Budweiser Gardens.
London came as close as two goal posts and the back of Schenkel’s leg on a third period 5-on-3 power play to evening the score, but in the end the Greyhounds walked away with the victory.
Knights forward Denver Barkey got a shot away with Schenkel flat on his stomach as a two-man advantage came to a close only to have Schenkel lift his leg in the ar and block the shot.
The lone goal came at the 16:22 mark of the first period as Mark Duarte took a pass from Tyler Savard and snapped it past Brett Brochu to make it 1-0 and that goal held up.
London outshot Sault Ste. Marie 35-21. The Knights owned the first 11 shots of the game.
Both penalty kills were perfect with each of them going 0-for-5.
The game was played in front of 9036 fans.
The return of Isaiah George
After being named the Knights Rookie of the Year in 2021-22 Isaiah George is ready for his encore in the OHL. George was selected by the New York Islanders in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft but suffered a minor injury in training camp which left him rehabbing in New York. He was reassigned to London on Oct. 5 but did not play in Friday’s game. George was also named a co-winner of London’s Scholastic Player of the Year award with Jackson Edward.
Logan Mailloux signs Entry-Level contract
The Montreal Canadiens signed London Knights defenceman Logan Mailloux to a three-year, entry-level contract on Oct. 5. Mailloux was selected 31st overall by Montreal in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
In a press release Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes stated, “This is a decision that we have thought through carefully. Having Logan around members of our team and hockey operations staff for a good part of the summer allowed us to gain a greater appreciation of Logan Mailloux the person. He has an opportunity to affect positive change and we will work to support him in any effort towards that goal. Logan recognizes the impact of his gesture and of course, the process continues.”
Mailloux remains with the Canadiens but has yet to appear in a pre-season game. The Belle River, Ont., native suffered a shoulder injury against the Windsor Spitfires that ended his season last year on March 6.
Up next
The Knights will play their first road game of the year on Saturday, Oct. 8 in Erie, Penn.
London and the Otters met twice during the pre-season. The Knights won the first game 3-2 in a shootout at Budweiser Gardens and the Otters pulled off a 7-6 comeback win in another shootout in Clinton, Ont., the following day.
London has a 19-2-1 record against Erie over the past five seasons.
It will be the Otters home opener and they have been selling t-shirts to fans with their affectionate “London Sucks” line that comes from the Erie fans’ version of Sweet Caroline.
Coverage will begin at 6:30 with the pre-game show on 980 CFPL, at www.980cfpl.ca and on the Radioplayer Canada app.
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