Knights make it eight; Lightning sweep the weekend

Gameday in 5: A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (Feb. 6-12) — for London’s teams and athletes.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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London Knights

The Knights had a busy week — and they ran the table by winning all four of their games. Things started on a high note with a 9-5 win over the Flint Firebirds last Monday. Ruslan Gazizov had a goal and six assists in the contest, while Sean McGurn recorded a hat trick. The Firebirds outshot the Knights 46-42, but they came up well short with the Knights extending their win streak to five.

London made it six on Wednesday, in a much closer contest, beating the Kitchener Rangers 5-4. Though the Knights found themselves down by two on three separate occasions, the third time was the charm, as Will Nicholl scored his first OHL goal to tie the game and then Easton Cowan and Logan Mailloux set up Denver Barkey with 32 seconds left in the game to claim a come-from-behind victory.

The Knights then rode a 4-goal second period to a lopsided 8-1 win Friday over the Erie Otters. Barkey scored twice in the contest, while Ryan Humphrey (three-point night), McGurn, Mailloux, Max McCue, Ethan MacKinnon, and Jacob Julien also tallied goals in the win, the Knights’ seventh in a row.

And then it became eight. On Saturday, London kept the offense going and took down the Guelph Storm, 5-1. Humphrey scored the ice-breaker with Mailloux and George Diaco scoring 57 seconds apart to give the Knights a 3-0 lead by the end of the opening period. The Storm scored their lone goal at the start of the second, but Denver Barkey restored the 3-goal lead. Ryan Humphrey scored his second of the game in the third, putting the game firmly out of reach for the Storm.

Up next:

The Knights (36-13-1-0) are back in action Tuesday and can take over top spot (at least momentarily) in the Western Conference with a win. They trail Windsor by just a single point (with a game in hand).

Tues. Feb. 14 (7:00pm @ Kitchener Rangers)
Fri. Feb. 17 (7:00pm vs. Sarnia Sting)
Sat. Feb. 18 (7:05pm @ Sarnia Sting)

London Lightning

The Lighting improved their record to 8-2 — and their current win streak to four games — with a pair of weekend victories at home. On Saturday, they welcomed an out-of-province opponent, the Newfoundland Rogues, and outlasted them 131-115 in a high-scoring affair.

Terry Thomas, back from injury, led the way for the Lightning with 21 points and 14 rebounds. In his London Lightning debut, Elijah Lufile had 19 points, four rebounds and a pair of blocks. Antwon Lillard tallied 18 points and five assists, while Jordan Burns was the leading playmaker with 14 assists (and 15 points for a double-double).

Sunday’s game was a lot closer, with the Lightning managing a 108-104 win over the visiting Windsor Express. London led 24-17 after the first quarter, but the Express took over in the second, outscoring the Lightning 29-22 to take a tie game into halftime. In a high-scoring third frame, the Lightning put up 35 points. The Express managed to fight back and held a two-point lead, 104-102, as late as 1:35 left in the game (after a Nick Garth bucket).

A Jeremiah Mordi layup tied things up for London. A Terry Thomas bucket game them the lead. And then, after a Mordi steal, Thomas converted again for the final bucket of the game. He finished with 24 points and seven rebounds. Cameron Lard had his best offensive game of the year, scoring a team-high 27 (with eight rebounds and a block).

In his second game in a Lightning uniform, Mordi double-doubled with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Burns (15 points, 12 assists), meanwhile, managed his second double-double in as many days.

Up next:

The Lightning (8-2) are back at it Wednesday — this time on the road against the Express. In fact, each of their next three games will come against Windsor, making it four in a row. London sits atop the NBLC standings by 2.5 games.

Wed. Feb 15 (7:00pm @ Windsor Express)
Mon. Feb. 20 (2:00pm @ Windsor Express)

London Nationals

The Nationals split their two games last week, starting with a 6-5 loss to the LaSalle Vipers on Wednesday. The Vipers got off to an early 1-0 lead in the first and doubled their lead early in the second. Riley Wood got the Nationals on the board, but the Vipers responded shortly after. The Nationals weren’t done yet, with Ryan Roobroeck bringing the team within a goal, and then Brayden Thompson tying the game. Then, Nolan Milne put London ahead 1:01 into the third. The Vipers, though, scored three times in the final frame to win the game. Wood scored a last-minute goal for the Nationals, but the team came up short.

The Nationals faired better on Saturday, beating the Komoka Kings 3-0. The Nats got off to a quick start, too, scoring twice in the first 27 seconds of the game. It was Brayden Thompson first and then Michael Kopcok 14 seconds later. Talan Palmer added to the lead in the second period, and Joseph Ranger secured the shutout in net for the Nationals.

Up next:

The Nationals (29-9-4-1) maintained their third-place spot in the GOJHL’s Western Conference, two points behind the St. Marys Lincolns and three back of the Leamington Flyers (the Vipers are just one back of London). It’s a very busy week for the Nats, who play four times between Wednesday and Family Day Monday.

Wed. Feb. 15 (7:00pm vs. Leamington Flyers)
Thurs. Feb. 16 (7:10pm @ Sarnia Legionnaires)
Sun. Feb. 19 (7:00pm @ Chatham Maroons)
Mon. Feb. 20 (2:00pm vs. LaSalle Vipers)