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Knight Watch: London has lost four of its last six, including against rival Kitchener Wednesday; Cohen Bidgood is back from injury. Is Will Nicholl next? PJ Fagan claimed, headed to QMJHL; Linus Funck scores memorable Teddy Bear Toss goal.
The London Knights fell to the rival Kitchener Rangers on Wednesday night, but they did manage to set a new OHL record in the process.
On Teddy Bear Toss night, the team collected 20,567 stuffed animals from fans, blowing away the record they set last season by nearly 5,000.
Linus Funck‘s second period goal brought on the onslaught of teddies, which are annually donated to the Salvation Army for their Christmas hamper program.
On the scoreboard, though, the Knights came out on the losing end of a 4-3 contest, the second time Kitchener has beaten them by one goal this season. It was also London’s fourth loss in their last six games — and they have allowed fewer than four goals in just one of those games.
With the Rangers’ victory, they moved into first place in the Midwest Division, tied with Owen Sound and one point up on London, who are currently the 5th seed in the conference. The Knights have won the division six straight seasons, and they’ve had home ice advantage in the playoffs every season since 2018.
They’ll have a tough test this weekend as they face the Western Conference’s top team, the Windsor Spitfires, who have scored the third most goals in the OHL, while also allowing the fewest. It’s a home and home series Friday and Saturday nights.
Cohen Bidgood returned to the lineup last weekend following a 15-game absence due to injury. He had two points in Saturday’s win in Saginaw. Will Nicholl has yet to make his season debut. He had offseason surgery, and the team is hopeful he’ll be ready to go sometime in mid-December.
The QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix have claimed defenceman PJ Fagan off waivers. With the move, the Knights now have seven defencemen on their roster.
UPCOMING GAMEDAYS
Friday (Dec. 5, 7:00pm at home) & Saturday (Dec. 6, 7:05pm on road) vs. Windsor Spitfires (19-6-2-1, 1st in Western Conference)
Carson Woodall leads the Spitfires with 34 points, one of three defenders in the OHL who is the highest point getter on his team. Draft eligible forward Ethan Belchetz is tied for 6th in the OHL with 17 goals. Liam Greentree is also dangerous. He had 49 goals and 119 points last season. With just two points in his last five games, he may be due for a breakout weekend. Former London Junior Knight Carter Hicks has three goals and four points from the blueline. Joey Costanzo is among the league’s top goalies, posting the lowest goals-against average, the second most wins, and the fifth highest save percentage among eligible netminders. His next victory will be the 90th of his OHL career. Keep an eye on special teams, as Windsor has the best penalty kill in the OHL, with London right behind in second.
KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS
301 – Sam O’Reilly has won 301 faceoffs so far this year. That’s second most in the OHL. He has a 58.1% success rate.
20,567 – The London Knights collected a record breaking 20,567 stuffed toys during their annual Teddy Bear Toss Wednesday night, greatly surpassing the previous record they set last year (15,926).
3 – Braiden Clark had goals in three straight games before being held off the scoresheet in Wednesday’s loss to Kitchener.
4 – It’s been a busy stretch for Aleksei Medvedev, who has started four straight games for the Knights, the longest stretch of his OHL career.
A LOOK AT THE LOCALS
– Soo Greyhounds defenceman Brodie McConnell-Barker has recorded an assist in three straight games.
– Guelph’s Parker Snelgrove has four goals in his last six games.
– Beckham Edwards‘ 10th of the season helped Sarnia force overtime against the red hot Flint Firebirds. They’d end up winning in a shootout to snap Flint’s winning streak at 11.
– Former London Junior Knight and Guelph Storm defenceman Eric Frossard was named the Midwest Division’s Academic Player of the Month for November. He’s currently committed to the University of Notre Dame.
– Matthew Koprowski made 28 saves on Sunday to help Owen Sound beat Kingston, recording his first win of the season. It was his first game action since Oct. 26.
