Devilette alums golden; Knights grab series lead; Nats bow out

Gameday in 5: A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (Apr. 8-14) — for London’s teams and athletes.

Londoner Julia Gosling hoists the World Championship trophy after a 6-5 Canada win in overtime over the U.S. on Sunday, Apr. 14 in Utica, NY. (Photo: Matt Zambonin/IIHF).

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London Knights

The Knights continued their playoff success last week by jumping out to a 2-0 series lead over the Kitchener Rangers in the second round of the OHL playoffs.

Starting the series at home on Thursday night, London came out on top with a 5-3 win at Budweiser Gardens. Trailing 1-0 late in the first period, Kaleb Lawrence tied the game for London with his fourth goal of the playoffs. And it was a similar story in the second, as the Rangers took a 2-1 lead late and London responded at the 18:19 mark of the frame. This time, it was Isaiah George who tied the contest.

Both teams came out strong to start the third, with Denver Barkey giving the Knights their first lead of the game. The Rangers responded 29 seconds later, but Oliver Bonk then came up with the game winner on the power play. From there, the Knights’ defense held strong and Max McCue added an empty netter in the final minute to secure the win.

Riding their momentum into Game 2, the Knights produced a 5-1 win Saturday. They didn’t waste any time getting on the board, as Kaleb Lawrence opened the scoring just 40 seconds into the game. The Rangers tied it just before the seven-minute mark, but Kasper Halttunen scored what turned out to be the game winner at the 11:31 mark. The Knights added two goals in the second and another in the third to secure the win. Henry Brzustewicz, Jacob Julien and Jackson Edward scored the goals, while goaltender Michael Simpson made 23 saves in the win.

Up next:

The Knights, who have won each of their first six postseason games, take a 2-0 series lead into a new week. They’ll play Games 3 and 4 in Kitchener Tuesday and Thursday and then (if necessary) return to London for a Game 5 Friday.

Game 3: Tues. Apr. 16 (7:00pm @ Kitchener Rangers)
Game 4: Thurs. Apr. 18 (7:00pm @ Kitchener Rangers)
Game 5: Fri. Apr. 19 (7:00pm vs. Kitchener Rangers) (If necessary)
Game 6: Sun. Apr. 21 (2:00pm @ Kitchener Rangers) (If necessary)

London Lightning

The Lightning took a tough loss in their only game action last week, losing 125-122 to the TBL’s St. Louis Griffins. The loss, combined with a KW Titans win, has further challenged London’s chances at claiming top spot in the BSL standings (the team has five games remaining).

Against St. Louis at Budweiser Gardens, London led 33-28 after the first quarter but the Griffins fought back in the second and the two squads closed out a high-scoring half tied 64-64. St. Louis rode their momentum into the third quarter where they took a 100-93 lead heading into the final frame. London turned things around, tying the game at 110 and then grabbing a lead on a Billy White three-pointer (and extending that lead to seven points). But it was the Griffins who took control in the final minutes of the contest. Following a St. Louis timeout, the Griffins found the net on a three-point attempt with 13 seconds to play. London had a chance at forcing extra time, but Nick Garth’s own three-point attempt was unsuccessful.

Chris Jones had perhaps his best game of the season in a losing effort, leading London with 32 points and 10 assists. Jermaine Haley Jr. had 22 points and seven rebounds, while White tallied 18 points. 

Up next: 

The Lightning (17-10), second place in the BSL standings behind the KW Titans (20-7), play a road contest against that very team in Kitchener on Wednesday. A road trip to Newfoundland (which was canceled earlier in the year due to weather) will be made up Apr. 26-28.

Wed. Apr. 17 (7:00pm @ KW Titans)

GOJHL Playoffs - Western Conference Final

Despite a Game 5 overtime loss to go down in the series, three games to two, the St. Marys Lincolns made an impressive comeback to win the GOJHL’s Western Conference Final last weekend over the London Nationals.

In a hard-fought series, the road team won each of the first four games to put the series 2-2 heading into last Wednesday. The Nationals broke that streak with a 3-2 OT win at home to put themselves on the brink of advancing in their Sutherland Cup journey. But the Lincolns put a stop to that. They blanked the Nats, 6-0, on Friday night to force a deciding Game 7. Then, back in London on Sunday, St. Marys finished the job with a 5-2 win.

Chase MacQueen-Spence, William VanSumeren, Cohen Bidgood, Owen Voortman and Jaden Lee all scored goals for the Lincolns in the win, while MacQueen-Spence was awarded the Sharon & Bob Williamson Memorial Award as the Western Conference Playoff MVP.

London Nationals (1) vs. St. Marys Lincolns (2) (St. Marys wins series 4-3)

Game 1: London 3 vs. St. Marys 5
Game 2: London 3 @ St. Marys 2
Game 3: London 4 vs. St Marys 7
Game 4: London 4 @ St. Marys 2
Game 5: London 3 vs. St. Marys 2 (OT)
Game 6: London 0 @ St. Marys 6
Game 7: London 2 vs. St. Marys 5

Women’s Hockey - Team Canada

Canada’s senior women’s national team claimed gold in exciting fashion at the 2024 IIHF World Championship Sunday, and three former London Devilettes helped contribute and then soaked up the win in Utica, NY.

Ella Shelton, Julia Gosling and Nicole Gosling are all golden girls now. Facing Sweden in a quarterfinal Thursday night, Canada cruised to a 5-1 win, with Shelton picking up an assist on Canada’s final goal. The women then battled Czechia in the semis, shutting out their opponents 4-0 to move on to the finals.

Waiting for them there was the USA, who usually prove to be Canada’s biggest challenge. But it was the Canadians who won this time around, 6-5 in overtime. With the game knotted 1-1 in the second period, Julia Gosling scored her second goal of the tournament to put Canada ahead. Gosling finished the tournament with a pair of goals, while Shelton tallied a goal and two assists.