Mustangs head to Yates Cup; Knights on a roll; Lightning add to roster

Gameday in 5: A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (Oct. 28-Nov. 3) — for London’s teams and athletes.

The Western Mustangs will take on the Laurier Golden Hawks in the 2024 Yates Cup on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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Western Mustangs

The Mustangs are heading to the Yates Cup — for the ninth straight season — after beating the Guelph Gryphons, 30-19, in an OUA semi-final game Saturday. They’ll take on the undefeated Laurier Golden Hawks, who beat them in their regular season matchup.

Western wasted no time getting on the board Saturday with a 79-yard drive down the field that ended with running back Keon Edwards scoring a touchdown. Guelph cut into the lead with a safety and a field goal, but the Mustangs punched back with a Brian Garrity field goal of their own to take a 10-5 lead. Not going down easy, a rouge and then a touchdown gave Guelph their first lead of the game. But with time winding down in the first half, wide receiver Seth Robertson, back from injury, took the ball into the endzone to give Western the lead back.

The third quarter saw three field goals, with Guelph connecting twice. Holding a narrow one-point lead to start the fourth quarter, Western quarterback Evan Hillock connected with Brayden Misseri, who broke through four Guelph defenders to give London the points they needed to win. Garrity added a late field goal to cement the victory and secure a date with the Laurier Golden Hawks this Saturday (Nov. 9).

Hillock finished 20-for-28 for 314 yards and two touchdown passes. Misseri had four of those receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown. Seth Robertson and Keon Edwards both scored touchdowns, while Garrity was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts.

Up next:

Sat. Nov. 9 (1:00pm @ Laurier Golden Hawks) (OUA Final - Yates Cup)

London Knights

The Knights continued their success last week, beating the Soo Greyhounds 4-3 on Friday and then claiming an overtime win Sunday on the road.

Landon Sim got things rolling in the first period Friday, scoring the icebreaker at the 13:20 mark. Blake Arrowsmith doubled the lead in the second with the Soo responding shortly after. Ryder Boulton’s first goal of the season restored London’s two-goal lead. The Greyhounds opened the scoring in the third, but the Knights responded on the powerplay with Jacob Julien scoring what turned out to be the game-winner. The Soo added a goal but they weren’t able to muster more against a London defense that held on for the win.

Building off Friday’s win, the Knights took down the Owen Sound Attack, 2-1, in overtime on Sunday. After a scoreless first period, Julien opened the scoring in the second with a powerplay marker. London held the lead for much of the game, with Owen Sound tying the contest with just over a minute left. The overtime frame was short-lived, with Easton Cowan ending the contest by scoring his seventh goal of the year, assisted by Denver Barkey.

Then, on Wednesday, the Knights extended their win streak to seven games with a convincing 5-1 win over the Soo — this time on the road. The Knights outshot the Greyhounds 43-13 in the one-sided affair, which featured goals from Cowan (2), Sim, Oliver Bonk and Sam Dickinson.

Up next:

Fri. Nov. 8 (7:00pm vs. North Bay Battalion)
Sun. Nov. 10 (2:07pm @ Guelph Storm)

London Lightning

With training camp on the horizon, set to begin Nov. 11, the London Lightning have continued to sign players for the 2024-25 season. That includes veterans Joel Kindred and Dexter Williams Jr., who both played extensively in the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC).

Kindred was a one-time MVP of that league. In 2021-22, the now-33-year-old averaged 20.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 18 games for the KW Titans. Williams Jr. joins the Lightning after spending last season with the Titans — and the previous four with the Sudbury Five. He’s known mostly for his defense, but he can provide a bit of offense, too.

Meanwhile, the Lightning also signed Canadian guard Alex Campbell, who has spent time in both the NBLC and the CEBL. And they re-signed Jachai Taylor, the highly athletic guard who played in 40 games last season, averaging 9.3 points — on an impressive 50 percent from the field — as well as 3.4 rebounds per contest.