Knight Watch: Fans back for Conference battles

London’s busy weekend features matchups against the Soo Greyhounds (one of the top teams in the West) and a couple of Midwest rivals. Columnist Jake Jeffrey has the full breakdown.

Knights forward Ruslan Gazizov (shown here) and defenseman Isaiah George have been chosen to participate in the CHL Top Prospect Game (March 23 in Kitchener). (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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Following losses in Kitchener and Windsor last weekend, the Knights returned home Wednesday night and got themselves back in the win column, beating Guelph for the second time in seven tries this season.

The losses were the first time this season the Knights had allowed five or more goals against, and they did it on back-to-back occasions. It was also the first time this season that Luke Evangelista was held off the scoresheet for two straight games. (He bounced back with a pair of assists in Wednesday night’s 4-2 win vs. Guelph).

There will be a few more bodies in Budweiser Gardens this weekend, as 50 per cent capacity will now be allowed following the loosening of public health restrictions. That means roughly 4,500 fans in attendance — a big change from the 500 allowed the last few weeks.

Since they were last in action, the Knights signed another prospect from the 2021 draft, as they inked 5th round pick Kaeden Johnston. The Peterborough native has 16 goals and 31 points in 33 games with the Komoka Kings (GOJHL) this season.

Knights defensemen Isaiah George and forward Ruslan Gazizov were selected this week to participate in the CHL Top Prospect Game, which has been rescheduled for March 23 in Kitchener. The showcase game features the top 40 NHL draft-eligible prospects currently playing in the Canadian Hockey League.

In other CHL news, the Memorial Cup has a new start date. It will now be played June 20-29 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Due to numerous postponed games throughout the year, the OHL regular season will now run longer than originally scheduled. As it stands now, the Knights (currently 26-12-1-0, first in Midwest Division) will wrap up their 68-game slate on April 17 against Sarnia at home.

Ethan MacKinnon’s first OHL goal on Wednesday (an empty netter) helped secure London’s 4-2 win over Guelph. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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UPCOMING GAMEDAYS

Friday (Feb. 18, 7:00pm) vs. Soo Greyhounds (26-14-4-1)

Friday marks the first of three meetings with the Greyhounds this month. The Soo enters the weekend tied for the most points in the Western Conference (although Flint does own a better winning percentage). Leading scorer Rory Kerins has nine goals and 19 points in his last 14 games.

Saturday (Feb. 19, 7:00pm) @ Erie Otters (18-20-1-2)

The Otters have won seven of their last nine games to propel themselves right back into the playoff picture. Christian Kyrou has been a big reason why. With a pair of game-winning goals during that stretch, he’s among the OHL scoring leaders among defensemen. In his last 14 games, Kyrou has notched eight goals and 20 points.

Monday (Feb. 21, 2:00pm) vs. Kitchener Rangers (18-19-2-2)

Kitchener carries a bit of momentum into this Family Day contest, as they were finally able to solve the London puzzle, beating the Knights last weekend for the first time since December 2019. A big part of that victory was keeping Luke Evangelista in check (the Knights captain had six goals and 16 points in their previous five meetings this season). Kitchener goalie Pavel Cajan has made 167 saves over his last four games, three of which were wins.

A LOOK AT THE LOCALS

A pair of local products are heading to the CHL’s Top Prospect Game. Hunter Haight (Strathroy) and Bryce McConnell-Barker (London) are both on the radar ahead of this year’s NHL draft. Both were first-round selections in the 2020 OHL draft — McConnell-Barker 4th overall to the Soo Greyhounds, and Haight 9th overall to the Barrie Colts.

Lucan’s Navrin Mutter has three goals in his last four games, giving him a career-high nine on the season. He’s been getting more opportunities offensively since joining the Kitchener Rangers in a deadline deal with Hamilton.

KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS

Defenseman Ethan MacKinnon scored his first OHL goal to help seal Wednesday’s 4-2 victory over the Guelph Storm. The Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs graduate was a 5th round pick of London’s in the 2019 draft.

Antonio Stranges has four goals and 10 points over his last six games.

Sean McGurn and Cody Morgan share the team lead with four game-winning goals.

Playing with a lead has been a strong suit for the Knights, who are a perfect 15-0-0-0 when leading after two periods (they’re 15-0-1-0 when leading after 20 minutes).