Mustangs are track champs; Knights win two; Lightning lose

Gameday in 5: A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (Feb. 19-25) — for London’s teams and athletes.

Both the men’s and women’s Western Mustangs track and field teams captured gold at the 2023-24 OUA Championship. (Edwin Tam).

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London Knights

The Knights had a strong week, winning all three of their games. Hosting the Windsor Spitfires on Family day, the Knights won a lopsided 7-2 decision. Down by a goal 12:50 into the first period, Jackson Edward tied the game. Two minutes later, Easton Cowan scored a shorthanded goal to put the Knights ahead. Following a successful Windsor penalty shot, Max McCue scored the eventual game winning goal in the final minute of the period. It was all Knights from there, as they scored four unanswered goals in the final two periods to run away with the win. Michael Simpson earned the win in net.

London rode that momentum into their matchup against the Kingston Frontenacs on Friday, winning 5-0 on the road. It didn’t take long for the Knights to get going in that one, as Sawyer Boulton opened the scoring at the 2:51 mark. Oliver Bonk doubled the lead late in the first, and then, after a scoreless second, the Knights scored three times in the final frame to close out the game. Sam O’Reilly, Denver Barkey and Easton Cowan all scored for London. Michael Simpson recorded the shutout (and was eventually named OHL Goaltender of the Week).

With Owen Willmore in net Saturday in Ottawa, the Knights won a close one, 4-3, in a shootout. Up 1-0 to start the second, thanks to Sam O’Reilly’s unassisted goal, Sam Dickinson doubled the lead with a power play marker. Ottawa came within a goal at the 15:31 mark, but Easton Cowan extended the lead in the final minute of the second (thus extending his personal point streak to 26 games). However, Ottawa scored twice in a 44-second span to force overtime. After a scoreless extra frame, the shootout went three rounds with Denver Barkey scoring the game winner and Willmore stopping all three shots he faced to secure the win. 

Up next:

The Knights, riding a four-game win streak, will look to keep the good times rolling with three games this week, beginning Wednesday at home against Oshawa.

Wed. Feb. 28 (7:00pm vs. Oshawa Generals)
Fri. March 1 (7:00pm @ Kitchener Rangers)
Sat. March 2 (2:00pm @ Flint Firebirds)

London Lightning

After a rare 11-day break (the result of a canceled trip to Newfoundland due to snowstorms out east), the Lightning played just one contest last week, and they lost it, 95-94, to the Windsor Express on the road.

In a very close game for most of the contest, the teams were tied 25-25 after the first quarter. The home side took a six-point lead, 49-43, into the halftime break, but London made up most of it in the third, trailing by two entering the final frame. There, it continued to be close, as the quarter saw seven lead changes. Down one with the final possession, the Lightning were unable to convert and lose the close contest.

Jeremiah Mordi had his best game of the season offensively, scoring 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting. Billy White, a former Express player, produced 20 points and 8 rebounds, while Chris Jones, in his first game back with the Lightning after a surprise trade, scored 19 with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Shadell Millinghaus, who was dealt to Windsor in exchange for Jones, had a 22-point, 12-rebound double-double in his Express debut, although he also had a game-high seven turnovers.  

Up next:

The Lightning, who have dropped out of first place in the BSL standings, will try to get back in the win column with a busy three-game week ahead, including two more against the Express. All three contests are at home.

Tues. Feb. 27 (7:00pm vs. Windsor Express)
Fri. March 1 (7:00pm vs. Newfoundland Rogues)
Sun. March 3 (2:00pm vs. Windsor Express)

Western Mustangs

Track and Field

It was a weekend to remember for both Western’s men’s and women’s track and field teams, as both struck gold at the 2023-24 OUA championship, toppling the longtime powerhouse Guelph Gryphons.

And head coach Vickie Croley called it.

“We have so many athletes having career-defining seasons. Everyone wants to win more than ever, and based on our rankings, we have all the pieces we need for two OUA championship titles,” Croley said before the meet. “We are more than ready to execute at OUAs.”

And execute they did. The women finished with 185 points, 10 better than their Gryphon counterparts. The men, meanwhile, tallied 170.5 points, a full 19.5 points ahead of Guelph.

Individually, there were golds galore for the 'Stangs. Meet records were set by Favour Okpali (600m) and Kenneth West (long jump and triple jump). Western golds were also achieved by Liv Sands (shot put), Vivian Ogor (60m), Chloe Knox (triple jump), Quinn Cameron (heptathlon) and Natalie Thirsk (60m and 300m - Ambulatory), as well as the women's 4x800m relay team and the men's 4x200m relay squad.

Top performers also included Aaron Thompson, Sophie Coutts, and 10 other individual medal winners. The Mustangs will now head to the U Sports Track & Field Championship in Winnipeg, MB, held from March 7-9.

Basketball

Aryan Sharma did it all Saturday afternoon for the Western Mustangs, as they won their first round playoff matchup -- in convincing fashion -- over the Laurier Golden Hawks, 92-72, at Alumni Hall.

Sharma scored 34 points on 12-of-21 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds, made five three-pointers, and tallied a block and two steals in the win, which advances Western to a semi-final next week. The Mustangs’ Tyson Dunn also had a fantastic game, producing a 19-point, 13-assist double-double with four steals.

Western, who won the OUA’s West Division with a 16-6 regular season record, took a 15-point lead (44-29) into halftime Saturday, but Laurier, who finished second in the West (14-8), cut that deficit to 7 points heading into the fourth quarter. It was all Mustangs from there, though, as they outscored the visitors 29-16 in the final frame to close out a convincing win and advance in the postseason.

Western will now take on the Brock Badgers in an OUA semi-final game at home Wednesday night (7pm) at Alumni Hall.

Fanshawe College

In a five-set thriller, the Fanshawe Falcons came up just short in the OCAA men’s volleyball gold medal game Saturday evening, dropping the match 3-2 to the now four-time defending champion Humber Hawks.

Fanshawe hosted the Final Four championship, and they beat Cambrian College Friday night in a semi-final to earn a spot in the gold medal match Saturday. There, Humber narrowly won 15-12 in the fifth set to take the crown. The Hawks had won sets one and three, while the Falcons took sets two and four.

For Fanshawe, Zack Admans led with 21 points (20 kills) and was named a Tournament All-Star, along with teammate Daniel Ridings, who had 20 points (14 kills) in the gold medal match.

After the regular season, Jayden Crowther was named an OCAA West Division First-Team All-Star, while Tanner Paterson earned a Second-Team All-Star nod.

Having finished top two in the province, the Falcons have earned a trip to the CCAA national championship, which will be held March 7-10 at Camosun College in Victoria, BC.