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Knight Watch: London lost to first-place Kitchener Wednesday, but they’ve earned points in eight of their last nine games; Jessi Nurmi tallies hat trick; Gatto among OHL leaders; Four games in six days ahead.
A third period rally helped the Knights salvage a point in a midweek matchup against a Midwest Division foe.
London scored a pair of third-period goals 35 seconds apart against the Kitchener Rangers to force overtime Wednesday night at Canada Life Place, but a familiar face scored the OT winner to propel Kitchener to the win.
Former Knights captain Sam O’Reilly scored twice in the game, his second coming just 18 seconds into the extra period to give the Rangers the edge. It was his fourth game winning goal in his last eight games — two of them c coming in overtime.
Last weekend, London continued its dominance over Erie with a 6-1 win. They’ve outscored the Otters 16-3 in their three victories this season. Jesse Nurmi continued his impressive run with a hat trick, the second Knight to score three in a game this season. Nurmi has six goals in his last four games.
Ryan Brown is another Knight enjoying a string of success. He’s scored seven goals during his current seven-game point streak. Brown now leads the team in scoring with 39 points. He has 16 points in the 14 games since joining London. Henry Brzustewicz has 13 points during his current nine-game point streak.
Jacob Vandeven made his OHL debut with the Knights in Erie. London acquired his rights from the Owen Sound Attack earlier this month in a trade that sent Julian Brown north. He’s been playing with the GOHL’s Komoka Kings this season.
It’s a busy stretch for the Knights with four games over the next six days.
That starts with Niagara on Friday night. The IceDogs have really struggled to win in London, with their last road victory in the Forest City coming 11 years to the day of their Friday matchup. The Knights will travel to Saginaw Saturday before back-to-back midweek games in Kitchener Tuesday and against Guelph on Wednesday.
Following Tuesday’s game in Kitchener, the Knights will play six straight home games. It’ll be a busy month in London, as the Knights will play eight of their 11 February contests at home.
London lost a local legend this week. Pete James, affectionately known as the Godfather of Sports, passed away at the age of 89. A longtime radio broadcaster with the Knights, a banner honouring James hangs from the rafters of Canada Life Place. He was inducted into the London Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.
UPCOMING GAMEDAYS
Friday (Feb. 6, 7:00pm) vs. Niagara IceDogs (24-20-3-1, 5th in Eastern Conference)
The IceDogs have had a rough go in London, with their last road win over the Knights coming 11 years ago to the day, a 4-1 win on February 6, 2015. Former Knight Noah Read has three goals in his last three games with Niagara. Londoner and draft-eligible forward Ryan Roobroeck has six goals in his last seven games — and they’ve been timely goals as well, as he’s scored three of Niagara’s last five game-winning goals. Riley Patterson leads the team with 59 points, three more than Roobroeck. Charlie Robertson, another London-born talent, has won his last four starts in net for the IceDogs.
Saturday (Feb. 7, 7:05pm) @ Saginaw Spirit (17-25-3-4, 8th in Western Conference)
The Knights head stateside for the second straight Saturday. This time, they’ll head to Michigan for their final meeting with the Spirit this season. Nikita Klepov leads all OHL rookies in scoring and has the fourth most points among all OHLers. The Spirit come into the weekend with five straight losses. Stepan Shurygin has been the OHL’s busiest goalie this season, facing the most shots and playing the most minutes in the league. He’s faced 122 shots over his last three starts.
Tuesday (Feb. 10, 7:00pm) @ Kitchener Rangers (33-11-4-1, 1st in Western Conference)
The Rangers are one of the hottest, if not the hottest team in the OHL. They haven’t lost in regulation in more than a month. Sam O’Reilly was the overtime hero when the team visited London on Wednesday, scoring a pair of goals against his former club. He’s now up to six game winning goals this season, two off the league lead. The Rangers have a couple of players threatening league-high numbers. Jack Pridham is third in the OHL in points, and second in goals, while his linemate, Christian Humphreys, has the second most assists. In Wednesday’s win over London, Pridham extended his point streak to 11 games, the longest active run in the OHL.
Wednesday (Feb. 11, 6:30pm) vs. Guelph Storm (19-23-2-2, 7th in Western Conference)
Maple Leafs prospect Tyler Hopkins has nine points in 12 games since joining the Storm from Kingston. Storm leading scorer Ethan Miedema has played 313 regular season games, the most of any active OHLer. Londoner Eric Frossard has three goals this season, two of which have come in his last six games. Zachary Jovanovski has been busy in the Storm net this season. His 1,027 saves is fifth most among OHL netminders. He’s started 12 of Guelph’s last 13 games, including the last seven coming into the weekend. As a team, Guelph has 461 penalty minutes this season, second fewest in the league.
KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS
11 – The Knights have won eight straight games over Niagara when playing at home. The last Niagara victory in the Forest City was 11 years ago, on Feb. 6, 2015.
3 – After going 45 games this season without a player scoring a hat trick, a Knight has now accomplished the feat on back-to-back weekends. Jesse Nurmi scored three games in Erie on Saturday, two games after Jaxon Cover recorded a hat trick against Peterborough.
3 – Knights first year goalie Sebastian Gatto is third among OHL goaltenders in goals-against average and save percentage.
9 – Henry Brzustewicz has points in nine straight games, the longest active streak among OHL defensemen.
A LOOK AT THE LOCALS
– Harrison Franssen had his first three-assist game for the Oshawa Generals. It was the sixth multi-point effort from the former London Junior Knight this season.
– Langton’s Brenner Lammens recorded the first two-point game of his career last Friday, and then accomplished the same feat the next day. The first year Sarnia forward has seven goals and 13 points this season.
– Komoka’s Matthew Koprowski recorded his third win of the season Saturday night, making 38 saves in a 4-3 victory over Guelph.
