Gameday in 5

A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (Apr. 11-17) — for London’s teams and athletes.

London Knights players salute the crowd on the final day of the regular season Sunday. They’ll begin a first-round playoff series against Kitchener on Thursday. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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London Knights

The Knights wrapped up their regular season last week, winning two of three — including a 1-0 victory in the season finale Sunday over Sarnia. London started the week strong, beating their upcoming first-round playoff opponent, the Kitchener Rangers, 4-3 on Wednesday. The Rangers took an early 1-0 lead in the contest, but the Knights answered back with two goals of their own thanks (Cody Morgan and Antonio Stranges). The Rangers tied the game late in the first period on a short-handed goal, but the Knights took back the lead when Luke Evangelista scored his 55th goal of the year. The Knights then added to their lead halfway through the third, with Cody Morgan scoring the game-winning goal on the powerplay. The Rangers came within one shortly after, but the Knights held on for the 4-3 win.

After Wednesday’s close game, the Knights lost 9-3 to the Saginaw Spirit on Saturday. Though London got off to a fast start, scoring two goals in four minutes (Liam Gilmartin and Ben Bujold), Saginaw responded quickly, netting two goals in a 12-second span. The Knights re-took the lead just past the 13-minute mark thanks to a Landon Sim goal, but it was all Spirit after that. They tied the game in the final minute of the period and then went on to score 6 unanswered goals to cruise to an easy win.

Following that blowout loss, the Knights turned around and won their final regular season game, the following day, 1-0 over the visiting Sarnia Sting at Budweiser Gardens. After two scoreless periods, the Knights finally broke through in the third with Cody Morgan scoring his 30th goal of the year (Denver Barkey secured an assist). Knights’ goalie Owen Flores earned the shutout win by stopping all 31 shots he faced.

Up next:

After wrapping up the season with a win (and beating Kitchener last week), the Knights will look to ride some momentum into the playoffs, where they’ll take on that No. 7 seed Rangers squad in a best-of-seven series. Action gets underway Thursday, and they’ll play three games before the week is out.

OHL Playoffs - First Round (London Knights, No. 2, vs. Kitchener Rangers, No. 7)
Game 1: Thurs. April 21 (7:00pm vs. Kitchener)
Game 2: Friday, April 22 (7:00 pm vs. Kitchener)
Game 3: Sunday, April 24 (2:00pm @ Kitchener)
Game 4: Tues. April 26 (7:00pm @ Kitchener)
Game 5: Sun. May 1 (2:00pm vs. Kitchener) (if necessary)
Game 6: Tues. May 3 (7:00pm @ Kitchener) (if necessary)
Game 7: Wed. May 4 (7:00pm vs. Kitchener) (if necessary)

London Lightning

The Lightning had a (welcomed) short week last week after a very busy schedule so far. They played just once, though it was certainly an eventful affair. In Sudbury on Thursday, the team was handed just their third loss of the season — and second against an NBL of Canada opponent — when the Five bested them 118-110 on home court. Though the Lightning carried an 84-81 lead into the fourth quarter and grew that lead to nine points, the Five slowly fought their way back, ultimately tying the game at 101 and then taking the lead once and for all. The Lightning were unable to make a comeback in the dying minutes and left town with a loss.

Playing shorthanded (sans Terry Thomas and Mareik Isom), the Lightning also lost Jordan Jensen-Whyte to injury just two minutes into game. Jermaine Haley Jr. picked up the slack with a career-high 37 points. Cameron Forte had a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double off the bench.

But the biggest news out of London’s loss to Sudbury was the loss of point guard Chris Jones. After an on-court outburst, during which he threw a water bottle and spat at a referee, he was ejected from the game and subsequently suspended by the league for the remainder of the regular season. The Lightning then dismissed their all-star guard.

On the weekend, Amir Williams and Haley Jr., along with Lightning head coach Doug Plumb and assistant Michael Provenzano, headed to Syracuse, NY, to participate in the inaugural NBLC-TBL All-Star Weekend. Plumb coached the NBLC squad, who fell short to the TBL, 155-150, in the all-star game Saturday evening.

Up next:

The Lightning (15-3) will look to bounce back from last Thursday’s loss when they return to the court this weekend. They’ll have eight days off in between games, a well-deserved rest that will give them time to practice and also heal up from lingering injuries. 

Fri. April 22 (7:00pm @ Windsor Express)
Sat. April 23 (7:00pm @ KW Titans)

London Nationals

The Nationals earned a spot in the Western Conference semi-final after clinching their first-round playoff series against the St. Thomas Stars on Saturday. A big 7-3 win in Game 6 punched the Nationals’ ticket to the semis, as they bested the Stars four games to two in the best-of-seven series.four games to two.

With a chance to close out the series Wednesday, London came up short, losing 4-2 to extend the series to a Game 6. The Nationals struck first in that contest, with Rylan Bowers scoring just 1:50 into the game. The Stars tied the game shortly after, and added a goal late in the period to take the lead. The Stars then extended their lead in the second period and adding another to begin the third. The Nationals finally broke through again late in the third, as Jeff Burridge scored his 4th goal of the series. But London was unable to make a real comeback push.

The Nationals didn’t miss any opportunities Saturday, and the result was a Game 6 win and a trip to the semis. London put up three goals in the first period, with Bradyn Santavy, Jack Bunker, and Rylan Bowers all scoring. The Stars got on the board just past the 6-minute mark of the second period, but the Nats responded 11 seconds later with a Lucas Chard power-play goal. The Stars added a goal late in the second, but the Nats answered back — in a big way — in the third by scoring three times. Burridge netted a pair, and Nicholas Beaupre added the other. The end result? A 7-3 London win.

Up next:

The Nationals, the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, will now move on to face the No. 3 Chatham Maroons in a tough semi-final matchup. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series gets underway Wednesday at the Western Fair District.

Playoffs - Western Conference Semi-Final (London Nationals, No. 2, vs. Chatham Maroons, No. 3)
Game 1: Wed. April 20 (7:00pm vs. Chatham)
Game 2: Fri. April 22 (7:00pm @ Chatham)
Game 3: Sat. April 23 (7:00pm vs. Chatham)
Game 4: Tues. April 26 (7:00pm @ Chatham)
Game 5: Wed. April 27 (7:00pm vs. Chatham) (if necessary)
Game 6: Fri. April 29 (7:00pm @ Chatham) (if necessary)
Game 7: Sat. April 30 (7:00pm vs. Chatham) (if necessary)