Knights with points in 20 straight; Lightning lose; GOJHL update

Gameday in 5: A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (Jan. 29-Feb. 4) — for London’s teams and athletes.

The London Nationals hold down top spot in the GOJHL’s Western Conference heading into a new week. (Photo: Bruce Laing Photography).

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London Knights

Coming off two straight shootout losses, the Knights had a busy four-game week — and, with wins in all four, they picked up the maximum eight points to extend their lead atop the OHL’s Western Conference standings.

The week started with a 4-0 shutout win over the Kitchener Rangers on the road Tuesday. Oliver Bonk opened the scoring at the 6:11 mark, and his goal stood as the game winner. Denver Barkey extended the lead late in the second, while Jacob Julien and Landon Sim added goals in the third. Owen Willmore was named the game’s first star, stopping all 24 shots to secure the shutout.

Hosting the Erie Otters on Friday night, the Knights got off to a strong start, scoring three goals in the first period to take a 3-1 lead into the intermission. Ruslan Gazizov scored the ice breaker at the 8:20 mark, and Max McCue doubled the lead 36 seconds later. Erie responded with a goal of their own, but Easton Cowan scored a shorthanded goal in the final minute of the period to restore the two-goal lead. The teams traded shorthanded goals in the second period, and then traded goals again in the third, with London’s being an empty netter that put the game away.

On the road Saturday, the Knights beat the Owen Sound Attack, 4-3, in a shootout. Down by a goal to start the second period, Alec Leonard tied the game just past the 4-minute mark. The Attack responded with two of their own to lead 3-1 early in the third period, but Easton Cowan and Oliver Bonk both scored to tie the game and force overtime. After the extra frame was unable to solve anything, the game went to a shootout. After three scoreless rounds, Denver Barkey scored in the fourth round while Owen Willmore shut the door to secure the win. 

With a second road game on Sunday, the Knights came out on top once again, beating the Guelph Storm 4-3. London got off to a strong start in the first period, with Kasper Halttunen opening the scoring at the 4:56 mark and Sawyer Boulton extending the lead at the 10:39 mark. The Storm responded with two goals in just over a three-minute span to tie the game, but it would be short-lived, as Oliver Bonk put London ahead less than a minute later.

Sam Dickinson scored the game winner early in the second period on the power play. Guelph scored a goal early in the third to come within a goal, but the Knights held on to win the contest, their fourth in a row — and 20th straight game recording at least a point. 

Up next:

The Knights will try to keep things rolling with a three-game week, beginning Wednesday south of the border (@ Flint). They’ll play their lone home game of the week Friday vs. Windsor.

Wed. Feb. 7 (7:00pm @ Flint Firebirds)
Fri. Feb. 9 (7:00pm vs. Windsor Spitfires)
Sun. Feb. 11 (2:05pm @ Oshawa Generals)

London Lightning

Looking to get back in the win column after a tough loss a week prior against Montreal, the Lightning lost their second straight, this time a 116-114 decision to the Windsor Express.

Things looked promising early for the Lightning, who won the first matchup between these two rivals in January. London led 27-21 after the first quarter. But Windsor fought back in the second and trailed by just two points at halftime. The Lightning then led by as many as nine points in the third quarter — and seven in the fourth — but they couldn’t keep up their play down the stretch.

A nine-point run saw the visiting Express take the lead, and though London kept pace with time winding down, a couple of poor possessions gave the game to Windsor. Shadell Millinghaus led the Lightning offensively with 34 points to go with nine rebounds and five assists. Billy white had 18 points and eight rebounds. 

Up next:

Looking to snap their two-game mini-skid, the Lightning (8-4) will look to get back in the win column Wednesday vs. the TBL’s Pontiac Pharaohs to close out their seven-game homestand. Then, they’ll head to Sudbury Saturday.

Wed. Feb. 7 (7:00pm vs. Pontiac Pharaohs)
Sat. Feb. 10 (7:00pm @ Sudbury Five)

GOJHL

The Strathroy Rockets have picked up a point in 15 straight games dating back to their 6-3 win over the Welland Canadians on December 16. The Rockets are 26-9-3-2 overall heading into a new week. Their 57 points puts them a close second to the London Nationals (60) in the Western Conference, with a game in hand. Ethan Facchina leads the team in points with 48 in 38 games played.

The St. Marys Lincolns, meanwhile, also have 57 points. They’re third in the Western Conference with a 26-10-4-1 record. They’ve played one more game than Strathroy heading into a new week. The Lincolns’ 106 goals against are the fewest in the conference. Cohen Bidgood leads the team in scoring with 42 points in 43 games. 

Currently holding the top spot, the London Nationals have a 29-10-1-1 record and 60 points — and they’ve won five in a row heading into a new week of action. Lucas Chard is the team’s leading scorer with 58 points in 31 games played. That point total ranks second in the league. His 1.87 points per game is tops in the league, and he was named GOJHL Player of the Month for January.