Knights win Windsor showdown; Lightning streak to 6

Gameday in 5: A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (Feb. 13-20) — for London’s teams and athletes.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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London Knights

It was an eventful week for the Knights, who had four games, saw three of them go into overtime, and moved into a tie for top spot in the Western Conference with a big win in a showdown against the Windsor Spitfires on holiday Monday.

Things got started with a 4-3 overtime win last Tuesday in Kitchener. After a scoreless first period, the Knights’ Landon Sim opened the scoring in the second. The Rangers responded with two goals to take a lead into the third, but Max McCue tied things up. The Rangers re-took the lead shortly after, but London’s Easton Cowan tied things once again with a powerplay that ultimately forced overtime. And it was the Knights coming out on top, with defenceman Logan Mailloux scoring the game-winner at the 3:15 mark.

The weekend featured three games against top opponents (Sarnia and Windsor), and it began with the first of a home-and-home against the Sting Friday night. London came out on the wrong end of a 3-2 game in that one. The game was tied after one period of play, with Sam Dickinson scoring the Knights’ goal. The Sting scored twice in the second to take the lead. While Ruslan Gazizov brought London within a goal in the third period, the Knights fell short at Budweiser Gardens.

In Sarnia on Saturday, the Knights turned the tables and earned a 4-3 overtime win — and it was a well-deserved comeback effort. In fact, Sarnia went up 3-0 in the first period. But the Knights fought back in the third, scoring three times to tie things up. Max McCue got the team on the board first, with George Diaco and Ethan MacKinnon notching the other goals. In overtime, it was Ryan Winterton who scored the winner, at the 2:43 mark, to complete the comeback.

And then it was a showdown against the Western Conference-leading Windsor Spitfires on Family Day Monday — and the matchup did not disappoint. Another comeback win (and another 4-3 overtime victory) earned the Knights a tie atop the conference standings heading into a new week (though Windsor has two games in hand).

Jacob Julien scored the icebreaker against Windsor, though the Spitfires responded shortly after. Neither team scored in the second, and the teams traded goals in the third. But it Windsor who had the edge late. After falling behind 2-1, Denver Barkey tied the game with a short-handed goal. The Spitfires responded quickly to re-take the lead but Julien tied things even quicker with his second of the game, just 15 seconds later, to force overtime. The extra frame lasted only 25 seconds, as Barkey played the hero and scored the winner to end the exciting affair.

Up next:

The Knights (39-14-1-0) return to action Friday for a rematch against Sarnia at Budweiser Gardens, and then they’ll play a pair of road games Saturday and Sunday. Friday’s game will mark the team’s last home contest until March 17 due to the upcoming Brier curling event being held at the Gardens.

Fri. Feb. 24 (7:00pm vs. Sarnia Sting)
Sat. Feb. 25 (7:30pm @ Owen Sound)
Sun. Feb. 26 (2:00pm @ Guelph Storm)

London Lightning

The Lightning continued to roll last week, extending their win streak to six games with a pair of road wins over Windsor. That also makes three in a row against the Express, and they’ll try and sweep the rare four-games-in-a-row series Thursday night at Budweiser Gardens.

On Wednesday, London rode a dominant third quarter to a 100-89 win. The Lightning outscored their counterparts 31-19 in that frame, giving them a 15-point lead heading into the final quarter (they’d led 44-41 at the half. For the second time in four games, Lance Adams led London scorers with 23 points off the bench, while adding four rebounds. Cameron Lard (14 pts, 12 reb) and Jeremiah Mordi (14 pts, 11 reb) both notched double-doubles, while Terry Thomas (13) and Justin Jackson (10) also scored in double figures.

Holiday Monday’s contest went down to the wire — despite the Lightning holding a commanding lead early. Up by as many as 22 points, London, playing with a short bench, let Windsor back in the game in the fourth quarter. But the Lightning managed to hold off the Express, 103-97, for their second win in Windsor in six days.

Ahead 54-34 at the half, London maintained a 20-point lead through three quarters and even added to that advantage before the tide turned. The Express fought back mightily in the final quarter, outscoring the visitors 33-19 in the final frame. A Windsor three-pointer with 2:00 remaining pulled the Express to within two points. But Justin Jackson nailed a three of his own, and then Elijah Lufile put down a big dunk to give London some breathing room and help hold off the Express.

Lufile had a bigtime game, posting a 20-point, 14-rebound outing, while Jackson finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds. Jeremiah Mordi notched another double-double (11 pts, 11 reb), while Mike Nuga had 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Up next:

The Lightning (10-2) are back in action Thursday for the fourth of four games in a row against Windsor. This time it’ll be back in London (it’ll be the final home game until March 15 due to the Brier curling event at Budweiser Gardens). The Lightning sit atop the NBLC standings, though just one game ahead of the Sudbury Five (9-3).

Thurs. Feb 23 (7:00pm vs. Windsor Express)

London Nationals

It was a busy week for the Nationals, who won three of their four games, including a big 5-3 win over the Western Conference-leading Leamington Flyers. The week got started with that win over the Flyers Wednesday. After a scoreless first, Lucas Chard scored the icebreaker at the 8:05 mark of the second. After the Flyers took a 2-1 lead, London responded with three goals to take it back. Talan Palmer and Sam O’Reilly both scored on the power play, while Brayden Thompson notched a short-handed marker. Bradyn Santavy added an empty net goal in the final second of the game to close out the win.

The Nationals’ offense took over on Thursday, as the team exploded for 12 goals in a 12-2 lopsided win over the Sarnia Legionnaires. Sam O’Reilly led the way with 3 goals and 2 assists, while Nolan Milne had 2 goals and an assist, and Talan Palmer had a goal and 3 helpers. The Nationals scored 4 goals in each period, with Lucas Chard, Jaeden French, Brayden Thompson, Bradyn Santavy, Nolan Griffiths, and Riley Wood rounding out the scoring.

The offense showed up again on Sunday, but the Nationals fell short in an 8-5 loss to the Chatham Maroons. With the team down 2-0 after the first, Talan Palmer brought the team closer. Lucas Chard then wasted no time in the second tying the game at the 19-second mark. Palmer gave London the lead with his second of the game, and Sam O’Reilly extended it shortly after. But the Maroons fought back and had a bigtime third period, outscoring the Nats 5-1 in the frame to win the game.

London bounced back on holiday Monday, beating the LaSalle Vipers 6-4. The team found themselves down 2-0 after the first period but scored five goals in the second to take a 5-3 lead into the final period. Nolan Milne, Owen McGowan, Brayden Thompson, Rylan Bowers (2) and Lucas Chard were London’s goal scorers, with Chard adding three assists.

Up next:

The Nationals (32-10-4-1) still trail the Leamington Flyers by three points in the Western Conference standings, and they’re tied with the St. Marys Lincolns for second spot. Wednesday’s game was postponed due to the weather conditions, but London is back in action Thursday.

Thurs. Feb 23 (7:10pm @ Sarnia Legionnaires)
Sat. Feb 25 (7:00pm vs. Sarnia Legionnaires)