Knights battle East’s best, then home for long weekend

Knight Watch: London clinches early playoff spot; Woolley’s winners sweep week; Remarkable run for Cowan comes to an end; Cam Allen faces suspension; It’s Barrie Thursday, then back home for long weekend …

Jared Woolley scored a pair of game-winning goals last week for the London Knights. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

* * *

The London Knights got back to their winning ways with victories over Kitchener and Peterborough last week.

With their win over the Rangers last Tuesday, London became the first team to secure an OHL playoff spot, doing so for a remarkable 24th straight season. It’s one of the fastest clinches in team history, trailing the legendary 2005 team that punched its ticket to the postseason on Jan. 22 that year.

Defenseman Jared Woolley scored the game winning goal in both victories last week.

“They are nice goals to score, that’s for sure,” Woolley said following London’s victory over Peterborough on Friday.

The Los Angeles Kings prospect has three goals in his last four games. With Friday being the Knights’ only game of the weekend, Woolley said the team knew it had to empty the tank at Canada Life Place.

“It’s big, knowing that it’s the only game you got on the weekend, and that you’ll have the rest of the weekend to recover,” Woolley said. “Leaving it out there is really the only option.”

The Knights got off to a great start Friday, outshooting the Petes 13-4 through the first period. Peterborough responded in the second with a goal on 13 shots.

“I thought we had a really good first period,” Woolley said. “Then they pushed back, as you’d expect, and then we responded to that.”

Following a relatively quiet weekend on the ice, the Knights now get set to play three games in five days, starting Thursday night in Barrie where they’ll play the Eastern Conference-leading Colts. They return home Friday night against the Soo, and host Flint for a Family Day matinee on Monday.

The OHL has suspended Knights defenseman Cam Allen after he was arrested by London Police on charges related to impaired driving. According to police, the incident happened during the early morning hours of Saturday, Feb. 8. He has since been suspended indefinitely pending the outcome of a league review.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

* * *

UPCOMING GAMEDAYS

Thursday (Feb. 13, 7:00pm) @ Barrie Colts (33-14-2-1, 1st in Eastern Conference)

A third period comeback helped the Knights beat Barrie earlier this season. Now, the Colts look for some revenge on home ice. Barrie has won nine of their last 10, with the only loss coming in overtime against Oshawa. Barrie now has the big three from North Bay, Anthony Romani (Vancouver Canucks), Dalyn Wakely (Edmonton Oilers), and Ilderton’s Owen Van Steensel. All three were among the OHL’s top 15 in scoring last season (Romani and Wakely were second and third, respectively). Van Steensel has had a slow start to his tenure in Barrie, but his first goal as a Colt was the game winner against the Soo on Saturday. Riley Patterson (Vancouver Canucks) leads Barrie with 48 points. Kashawn Aitcheson is one to watch — the physical defenseman will likely be a first-round pick in this year’s NHL draft. On paper, this should be a low scoring affair, as London and Barrie have allowed the fewest goals against this season. But, as we well know, junior hockey isn’t played on paper …

Friday (Feb. 14, 7:00pm) vs. Soo Greyhounds (20-29-1-1, 8th in Western Conference)

This is a potential first-round playoff preview, as the Greyhounds currently sit in eighth place in the Western Conference. The Knights are looking to sweep the season series against the Greyhounds for the first time since 2019-20 (the Knights beat the Greyhounds three times before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Sam Dickinson and Sam O’Reilly both have six points in the three games against the Soo this season, while Landon Sim has a team-leading three goals. The Greyhounds’ Justin Cloutier has four goals against the Knights this season (the only Soo player with multiple goals). Marco Mignosa leads the team with 54 points, and he leads the entire OHL with five shorthanded goals. In his second full OHL season, former London Junior Knight Brodie McConnell-Barker has a career high 12 points for the ‘Hounds.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

Monday (Feb. 17, 2:00pm) vs. Flint Firebirds (22-24-2-3, 6th in Western Conference)

A family day affair will feature the Knights and Firebirds at Canada Life Place. Nathan Day just became the winningest goaltender in Flint’s franchise history. Former London Junior Knight Matthew Wang has a career-high 14 goals this season. Flint came away with a win last time these two teams played in London, but the Knights have since taken both games in Michigan. This will be the first time Sam McCue (Toronto Maple Leafs) plays the Knights as a Firebird. He has nine goals in 12 games since joining Flint following a trade from Owen Sound. Nathan Aspinall (New York Rangers) and Kaden Pitre (Tampa Bay Lightning) are two other NHL prospects to watch for.

KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS

27 - The London Knights have won all 27 games this season where they’ve outshot their opponent. In games they’ve been outshot, they’re 11-7.

40 - The Knights reached 40 wins for the third straight season. They’ve failed to reach 40 wins on just two occasions in the last 13 years, winning 39 times in the 2017-18 and 2021-2022 seasons.

65 - A remarkable run that spanned more than 14 months came to an end, as Easton Cowan’s regular season point streak was finally snapped last Friday after a remarkable 65 games.

A LOOK AT THE LOCALS

- Ryan Roobroeck has extended his active point streak to nine games. The Niagara IceDogs’ second-year forward had a 15-game point streak before Christmas.

- Former London Junior Knight Carter Hicks potted his second goal of the season in Windsor’s win over Sarnia on Friday.

AROUND THE OHL

- The Erie Otters have hired longtime WHL coach Kris Mallette to take over behind the bench.

- Brantford Bulldogs winger Nick Lardis (Chicago Blackhawks) became the first OHLer to hit 50 goals this season. He’s now up to 52.

- Saginaw Spirit captain Michael Misa, who is six goals shy of the 50-goal mark, is likely to become the first OHLer to hit the century mark in points this season. The draft-eligible forward sits at 99 points following action Tuesday.