Gameday in 5
A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (Jan. 31-Feb. 6) — for London’s teams and athletes.
Returning London Majors pitcher Pedro De Los Santos. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
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It was a busy weekend for the Knights, who played three games in three days — and won all of them. The team got off to a strong start Friday with a 5-1 win over the Windsor Spitfires. The Knights jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period on goals by Luke Evangelista, Cody Morgan and Colton Smith. The Spitfires scored their lone goal in the second before the Knights added two in the third to put the game out of reach.
On Saturday, it was Kitchener on the losing end of the Knights’ attack. In a back-and-forth affair, London came away with a 6-3 win. Down 1-0 in the first, Evangelista tied things up with a minute left in the period. Gerard Keane scored early in the second to put the Knights up 2-1, but the Rangers tied the game again halfway through the second — and then added another goal early in the third to go ahead 3-2. The Knights rallied back in a big way, though, scoring four unanswered goals for the win. Evangelista, who finished with a hat trick, scored two of them, while Liam Gilmartin and Antonio Stranges scored the others.
The Knights then swept the weekend with an 8-3 win Sunday against the Owen Sound Attack. Trailing 2-1 in the first, the Knights scored three unanswered and took the lead on Antonio Stranges’ breakaway backhander to the top left shelf. Up 4-2 to start the third, the Knights eventually scored three empty netters (including Ben Bujold’s first career OHL marker) — plus another from Landon Sim — to put the game away.
Up next:
The Knights (24-10-1-0) enter the week tops in the Midwest Division and third in the Western Conference behind the Soo Greyhounds and Flint Firebirds (although they have the highest winning percentage at .700). This week they’ll play three road games — first against the 9th-place Saginaw Spirit and then a pair of rematches against Kitchener and Windsor.
Wed. Feb. 9 (7:05pm @ Saginaw Spirit)
Fri. Feb. 11 (7:30pm @ Kitchener Rangers)
Sat. Feb. 12 (2:00pm @ Windsor Spitfires)
The Lightning signed a couple of Canadian hoopsters, Jermaine Haley and Cody John, for the 2022 season. Haley is a wing who spent time in the NBA’s G League and in Europe, while Cody is a guard who spent two seasons in CEBL. The Lightning are scheduled to open the season on Family Day, February 21, against the Kitchener Waterloo Titans on the road. The team is scheduled to play its home opener against that same Titans squad on Saturday, March 5.
The Nationals (18-5-1-1) finally made their return to the ice following a ‘pause’ in the GOJHL season due to COVID-19 restrictions. After Wednesday’s scheduled game against Leamington was postponed due to weather (snowstorm), London came out on the wrong side of a 4-1 decision against the Lasalle Vipers on Sunday. Jacob Julien was the lone goal scorer for the Nationals, with Logan Pace-Roth grabbing the assist.
Up next:
The Nationals enter the week tied for second in points with the Chatham Maroons in the Western Conference, two points back of the Flyers — although London has three games in hand (and six of Chatham). The Nats will play back-to-back games this week, beginning with 8th-place Strathroy. Then, it’s a tilt against the Conference’s leading team.
Wed. Feb. 9 (7:00pm vs. Strathroy Rockets)
Thurs. Feb. 10 (7:10pm @ Leamington Flyers)
The Majors re-signed star pitcher Pedro De Los Santos for the 2022 season. De Los Santos was dominant in 2021, leading all Intercounty Baseball League starters with a 2.19 ERA during the regular season. The team also re-signed outfielder Austin Wilkie. In 27 regular season games last year, Wilkie hit .303. He was then a key cog in the playoffs, batting .357 and providing solid all-around play during the Majors’ championship run.
Ella Shelton, who played three years for the London Devilettes during her hockey formative years, is in Beijing trying to help Canada win women’s hockey gold at the Olympics for the first time since 2014. In three preliminary round games thus far, all wins for Canada, the 24-year-old defenseman has tallied three assists.
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 …