Gameday in 5
A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (Dec. 13-20) — for London’s teams and athletes.
(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
The Knights’ slump continued as they fell to second place in the Western Conference (and Midwest Division) following a loss to the new first-place Guelph Storm. It was the only game London played during the week after Friday’s contest against the Owen Sound Attack was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols (affecting the Attack). On Saturday, the Knights lost a critical game, falling 4-1 to then-second-place Guelph. London scored its only goal early in the second period (which brought them to within a goal), but the Storm answered back less than a minute later to secure the win. Luke Evangelista was the Knights’ lone goal scorer (his 21st of the season), with Max McCue picking up the assist.
Up next:
After falling to second place, the Knights (17-8-1-0) will have a week-and-a-half off to regroup as they enjoy the league’s holiday break. The team will play a home and home series with the Sarnia Sting (10-12-3-0) when they return to action. They’ll play a road game on December 29 and return home on the 31st. The Knights will then play their first game of 2022 on the road when they take on the Erie Otters (7-16-1-1) New Year’s Day.
Wed. Dec. 29 (7:05pm @ Sarnia Sting)
Fri. Dec. 31 (4:00pm vs. Sarnia Sting)
Sat. Jan. 1 (7:00pm @ Erie Otters)
The Nationals returned to action after having their previous three games postponed due to a pair of positive COVID tests (a player and a coach). The team won their first game by forfeit against the Chatham Maroons, who opted not to play the scheduled Dec. 15 game due to the surge in cases of the Omicron variant in London.
On Friday, the Nats picked up a win — until it was taken away. In the team’s final game before the holiday break, London beat the St. Thomas Stars on the road, 7-6 in overtime. But the win turned into a forfeit loss to St. Thomas due to rule violations against London, who dressed too many underage players in the contest (only one 15-year-old player is allowed to play per game).
As for the game that took place, the Nats’ Jeff Burridge had a hat trick and two assists, while Zach Power had two goals and three assists. Burridge’s three goals all came at key times — his first put the team on the board, his second tied the game at three, and his last was the game-winner. Logan Pace-Roth and Ryan Nichols, meanwhile, scored London’s other two goals.
Up next:
The Nationals (18-4-1-1) head into the two-and-a-half-week break in sole possession of first place in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the second-place Leamington Flyers (18-8-0-0). The team will return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 5 when they host the Sarnia Legionnaires (7-19-0-1).
The Lightning have signed their first two players for the 2022 season — and both are returnees to the Bolts. London first inked Mareik Isom, a 6-foot-9 forward who averaged 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game during the 2019-20 season (his 54% mark from the field that year was 6th best in the league).
Then the team re-signed Jaylon Tate, one of the six players on their ‘Protected List.’ Tate was a member of the 2019-20 team, though he played only five games due to an ankle injury). A point guard from Chicago, Tate was the NBLC Rookie of the Year in 2017-18 with Niagara).
Tate averaged 7.5 assists and 13.1 points per game during that Rookie of the Year season. He played overseas in Austria and Finland before joining the Lightning in 2019-20. Most recently, he was with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA’s G-League.
There are some familiar faces, but there’s a sense of renewal in London as the Lightning embark on a new season. With a new coach and several new players, is a new era upon us? What to expect in 2024-25 …