Knights move on; Lightning sit second; Nats-Lincolns battle
Gameday in 5: A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (Apr. 1-7) — for London’s teams and athletes.
The London Nationals and St. Marys Lincolns split the first four games of their Western Conference Final. Game 5 goes Wednesday, Apr. 10, 2024. (Photo: Bruce Laing Photography).
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The Knights completed a first-round playoff sweep of the Flint Firebirds and booked their trip to a Western Conference semi-final with a pair of wins last week.
Up 2-0 in the series, London beat Flint 4-3 in overtime Tuesday (Apr. 2) to move a win away from the sweep. Flint scored the icebreaker at the 11:50 mark in the first, but London responded seconds later with Kaleb Lawrence tying the game. The Knights’ offense didn’t stop there, as Easton Cowan put the team ahead less than a minute after the tying goal. Following a scoreless second period, Kasper Halttunen scored 2:19 into the final frame to give London a 3-1 lead.
However, Flint didn’t go down without a fight. They scored twice to tie the game and force overtime. The extra frame lasted more than 11 minutes, but it was ended by London’s Landon Sim (assist to Oliver Bonk) for a 3-0 series advantage.
With a chance to close out the series on Thursday (Apr. 4), the Knights did just that, winning 3-2 in Flint to complete the sweep. Sim scored the ice breaker in the first period on a goal assisted by Easton Cowan and Isaiah George. Flint scored the only goal of the second period to tie the game. Sam O’Reilly put the Knights ahead once again in the third, scoring at the 4:46 mark. With less than two minutes left, Denver Barkey scored an empty net goal to put the team ahead by two. Barkey’s goal stood as the game winner after Flint scored shortly after to come within a goal. But the Knights held on to secure the win and the sweep.
Up next:
The Knights, the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, will now take on the Kitchener Rangers (No. 4) in Round 2 of the OHL playoffs. Action gets underway Thursday in London for Game 1 of the best-of-seven series.
Game 1: Thurs. Apr. 11 (7:00pm vs. Kitchener Rangers)
Game 2: Sat. Apr. 13 (4:00pm vs. Kitchener Rangers)
The Lightning won their only game of the week, beating the Newfoundland Rogues, 104-97, at Budweiser Gardens on Monday (Apr. 1). Leading 28-21 after the first quarter, the Lightning led for the remainder of the contest. The visiting Rogues came within four points in the second, but that’s as close as they’d get on the evening. It was the second straight win for London, who trails the KW Titans by a game and a half for top spot in the BSL standings.
Against Newfoundland, Billy White led the way, tallying 28 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Chris Jones had 24 points, six assists and four rebounds. Jeremiah Mordi and Devon Baulkman produced 13 points apiece.
Up next:
The Lightning (17-9) sit in second place in the BSL standings behind the KW Titans (18-7). After a 10-day break between games, they’ll host the St. Louis Griffins Friday night.
Fri. Apr. 12 (7:00pm vs. St. Louis Griffins)
GOJHL Playoffs - Western Conference Final
This year’s GOJHL Western Conference Final between the London Nationals and St. Marys Lincolns has been a back-and-forth affair, and through action Tuesday, it has interestingly favoured the road team in the first four games (the series is tied 2-2 heading into action Wednesday).
The St. Marys Lincolns opened the series with a win in London last Wednesday (Apr. 3), and then dropped a home contest in Game 2, 3-2. The Lincolns won again in London, 7-4, on Sunday, and then lost at home by a 4-2 margin Monday. Game 5 goes Wednesday night (Apr. 10), while Game 6 will be back in St. Marys Friday. If a Game 7 is necessary, that’ll be played in London on Sunday.
London Nationals (1) vs. St. Marys Lincolns (2) (Series tied 2-2)
Game 1: London 3 vs. St. Marys 5
Game 2: London 3 @ St. Marys 2
Game 3: London 4 vs. St Marys 7
Game 4: London 4 @ St. Marys 2
Game 5: London vs. St. Marys
Game 6: London @ St. Marys
Game 7: London vs. St. Marys (If necessary)
Women’s Hockey - Team Canada
Three former London Devilettes players are with Canada’s senior national team at the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championships, and they’ve each played a role in helping Canada to a 3-1 record in preliminary play in Utica, NY.
Ella Shelton, an Olympic gold medalist, is on the squad. And a pair of London cousins, Julia Gosling and Nicole Gosling, are competing at their first World Championship event. Canada will play a quarterfinal Thursday vs. Sweden (5pm EST). Semi-final action goes Saturday, while the gold medal game happens Sunday.
The defending champion London Lightning begin their title defense Nov. 23 on the road vs. Sudbury, the first of a 34-game schedule that runs thru March. Home opener happens Nov. 28 vs. Newfoundland.