Lightning lose ground; Knights clinch top spot; Nats-St. Marys Final

Gameday in 5: A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (March 18-27) — for London’s teams and athletes.

The London Nationals have advanced to the GOJHL’s Western Conference Final with a 4-1 series win over the LaSalle Vipers. (Photo: Bruce Laing Photography).

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London Lightning

It was a tough week for the Lightning, as they lost both of their games and dropped from atop the BSL standings as a result. The week opened with a 110-106 surprise upset loss to the TBL’s Kokomo Bobkats on Tuesday at Bud Gardens. Holding a narrow 30-28 lead to start the second, Komoka took a five-point lead late in the quarter. And they kept the pressure on, leading by as many as nine in the final frame. In a close affair, there were 18 lead changes, but the Lightning were unable to really get things going and fell as a result.

Jermaine Haley Jr. had 29 points in a losing effort. Nick Garth continued his hot shooting from beyond the arc, making six three-pointers en route to 18 points. He also had seven rebounds and four assists. Jeremiah Mordi finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Looking to bounce back on Friday, the Lightning dropped a second straight, this time 117-107 to the Windsor Express on the road. That one was a tale of two games, as London succumbed to a significant deficit only to nearly make a complete comeback. Windsor led 41-24 after the first and 68-44 at halftime (the Express led by as many as 29 in the second quarter).

However, the Lightning made an impressive climb back into the game in the second half. They even took the lead, 102-101, with 3:44 left in the contest. But Windsor made the key buckets down the stretch to claim the win. Nick Garth put up another strong performance for London with 28 points (including eight 3-pointers), while Chris Jones produced 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Jeremiah Mordi scored 18 with eight rebounds.

Up next: 

The Lightning (15-9) sit in second place in the BSL standings behind the KW Titans (16-7). They’ll play a road game Saturday and then welcome third-place Newfoundland Easter Monday at Bud Gardens.

Sat. Mar 30 (7:00pm @ Montreal Toundra)
Mon. Apr. 1 (7:00pm vs. Newfoundland Rogues)

London Knights

The Knights clinched top spot in the OHL standings in the final week of the regular season, winning both of their weekend games to ensure home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

To start, they beat the visiting Windsor Spitfires 4-3 on Friday night. Down 1-0 to start the second period, the Knights bounced back and scored three goals in less than a three-minute span. Sam O’Reilly got things started with his 19th of the season. Denver Barkey gave London the lead, a minute later, with his 34th of the year. And Alec Leonard wrapped up the scoring barrage. However, Windsor fought their way back. They came within a goal in the second period — and then tied things early in the third period. But it was the Knights who laughed last, as Easton Cowan scored the game winner on the power play. Michael Simpson got the win in net stopping 19 of 22 shots.

Needing a single point on Sunday to clinch first place, the Knights beat the Guelph Storm 3-0. Following a scoreless first, Denver Barkey (who reached 100 points for the regular season) got London on the board in the second (assists to Sam Dickinson and Easton Cowan). Cowan doubled the lead at 15:34 of the period. And Dickinson added an empty netter late in the third. Simpson got the start in net again and stopped all 19 shots he faced to secure a shutout.

Up next:

The No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, the Knights will take on No. 8 Flint in their first-round playoff series, beginning Friday night. They’ll play the first two games of the best-of-seven series this weekend.

Game 1: Fri. March 29 (7:00pm vs. Flint Firebirds)
Game 2: Sun. March 31 (2:00pm vs. Flint Firebirds)

GOJHL Playoffs - Second Round

London Nationals (1) vs. LaSalle Vipers (4) (London wins series 4-1)

The Nationals were up to the challenge against LaSalle in the second round of the GOJHL playoffs, winning the best-of-seven series in just five games. They clinched it Wednesday night with a statement 7-0 win at home. Talan Palmer notched a hat-trick in that series-ending win, while Lucas Chard, Riley Wood, Logan Pace-Roth and Michael Kopcok also scored for the Nats, who will now take on St. Marys in the Western Conference Final.

St. Marys Lincolns (2) vs. Strathroy Rockets (3) (St. Marys wins series 4-0)

The Strathroy Rockets dispatched the St. Thomas Stars in the first round, but they were on the wrong end of a sweep in round two, as the St. Marys Lincolns, the No. 2 seed, enjoyed a very strong series to advance to the Western Conference Final. The Lincolns scored an impressive 26 goals in the four games, closing things out with a 5-3 win in Strathroy on last Tuesday. Tied 3-3 after two periods, the Lincolns’ Jaden Lee scored twice in the third (including an empty netter) to clinch the series. Ethan Facchina, who scored his 11th goal of the playoffs in the contest, was the high scorer (14 points) for Strathroy during their postseason run.

Up next: 

Western Conference Final: London Nationals (1) vs. St. Marys Lincolns (2)

Game dates/times to be announced …