Gameday in 5: Knights make up ground; Lightning sit in first

A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (Jan. 30-Feb. 5) — for London’s teams and athletes.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

* * *

London Knights

The Knights won both of their games last weekend to extend their win streak to four games. They got things started with a 5-1 win over the Saginaw Spirit at home Friday. Ryan Humphrey got the team got off to a strong start in a first period that included four goals from the Knights. Denver Barkey, Logan Mailloux, and Ryan Winterton also scored before the opening frame concluded, leaving Saginaw with a tough hill to climb. The Spirit only managed a goal — in the second period — before Sam Dickinson restored London’s 4-goal lead in the third and put the game away.

The Knights’ offense showed up big again on Saturday in Erie, with London coming away with their second straight 5-1 victory. London’s Easton Cowan scored just over two minutes into the game, although the Otters tied things later in the frame. It was all Knights from there, with London scoring the game-winner in the second (Sean McGurn) and then tallying three more goals in the third (a Logan Mailloux hat-trick).

Up next:

The Knights (32-13-1-0) have a busy four-game week ahead, including a trio of games at home (Monday, Wednesday, Friday). They’re second in the Western Conference behind the Windsor Spitfires.

Mon. Feb. 6 (7:00pm vs. Flint Firebirds)
Wed. Feb. 8 (7:00pm vs. Kitchener Rangers)
Fri. Feb. 10 (7:00pm vs. Erie Otters)
Sat. Feb 11 (7:00pm @ Guelph Storm)

London Lightning

Entering the week on a four-game winning streak (including their trio of wins in Newfoundland), the Lightning suffered their second loss of the season on Wednesday, losing 105-104 to the visiting Windsor Express at Budweiser Gardens.

Trailing 57-48 at halftime, London fought back, particularly in the fourth quarter, but they were unable to mount a complete comeback — even though they did take a lead on a Mike Nuga dunk with over seven minutes left and were up by four with 3:34 left. Mareik Isom led the way offensively for the Lightning, scoring 24 points, while Nuga had 21 points and 9 rebounds off the bench. In his Lightning debut (and first game action in nearly two years), Justin Jackson scored 17 points in the loss. Cameron Lard notched a double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds).

The Lightning returned to their winning ways on Saturday in the first of a ‘doubleheader’ against Sudbury, beating the Five 99-85. The Lightning shot poorly, but they did enough to come out on top. After taking the lead late in the first quarter, London never looked back. Isom led the way once again with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals. Antwon Lillard had 18 points and 9 rebounds, while Nuga had 15 points and 9 rebounds. Marcus Ottey had 16 points on efficient shooting (7-for-9).

The Lightning came out on top again on Sunday, beating Sudbury 104-102 less than 24 hours after their Saturday win. The two teams were tied 57-57 at the half, and Sudbury held a two-point lead heading into the fourth. In a tight affair, the Lightning came out on top, thanks in part to holding the Five to 30.8% shooting in the final quarter.

Lance Adams, who was named player of the game, scored 21 points for London, while Mike Nuga had another strong performance with 19 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds. Marcus Ottey (17) and Cameron Lard (18) also scored in double digits, as did Justin Jackson (12), who added 9 rebounds and 5 blocks.

Up next:

The Lightning (6-2) are back at it this weekend when they will host another two home games — first against the Newfoundland Rogues and then a rematch against the Windsor Express. They sit in first place in NBLC standings in the early going, 1.5 games ahead of Sudbury.

Sat. Feb. 11 (6:00pm vs. Newfoundland Rogues)
Sun. Feb. 12 (2:00pm vs. Windsor Express)

London Nationals

The Nationals continued a trend and split their two games last week. At home on Wednesday, they were dealt a 6-5 loss by the Chatham Maroons, who got off to a strong start, scoring twice in the first period. The Nationals scored two of their own in the second, though (Talan Palmer, Sam O’Reilly), and took a tie game into the second. The Maroons scored the lone goal in that frame to take a 3-2 lead — and then scored three straight in the third. the lead back in the second, adding 3 goals in the third. A flurry of late goals by London (Palmer and two from Tanner Winegard) made it close but left the Nats just short.

London flipped the script on Friday, beating the St. Thomas Stars 6-3 on the road. Down 2-0 to start the second, the Nats wasted no time cutting into the deficit, with Talan Palmer scoring 18 seconds in and Logan Pace-Roth tying the game at the 2:44 mark. The Nationals then took the lead in the third (Bradyn Santavy) and scored three more times (Carter Duarte, Michael Kopcok and Sam O’Reilly) en route to the 6-3 win.

Up next:

The Nationals (28-8-4-1) are now looking up at two teams in the standings. Entering action Tuesday (Feb. 7), they’re one point behind Leamington and two points behind St. Marys in the Western Conference.

Wed. Feb. 8 (7:00pm vs. LaSalle Vipers)
Sat. Feb. 11 (7:15pm @ Komoka Kings)