Bears and Knights Set to Renew Playoff Rivalry
The playoff matchups are set and for the first time since 2018 the Owen Sound Attack will open the championship tournament against division rival London Knights.
The Midwest rivals are both looking to avenge a heart breaking Game 7 loss during the 2022 Quarter-final series. For Owen Sound the goal is to prove that the young roster has taken the next step to be a true playoff threat in the Western Conference, while London is looking to avenge a first round upset from last year, which also happened to be a 2-vs-7 match-up.
The teams met six times during the regular season, each claiming three victories is what were all entertaining hockey games. Throughout the six contests Owen Sound found the back of the net 23 times, and were able to chase the London starters in two of the three Bear wins. For their efforts, London potted 28 goals in the Attack net, and were also able to force a goalie change in two of their three victories. This offence proved tough for the goaltenders, but despite the numbers both teams enter the playoffs with a net minder who provides confidence to the players in front of them, though London has the slight edge with 0.882 save percentage to the Attack’s 0.856.
Looking at the skaters lining up across from one another, Attack captain Colby Barlow leads all players in goals between the teams, as the 2023 NHL Draft prospect potted 5 of his 46 goals against the Knights. New acquisition Landen Hookey and Minnesota Wild prospect Servac Petrovsky round out Owen Sound’s top three goal scorers against London throughout the season, with Hookey hitting twine 4 times including a hat-trick in the final meeting of the season. On the Knights side, Russian Gazizov led the Gold and Green with 4 goals, and while outscoring Owen Sound overall, London had a much more score by committee approach as Landon Sim (St. Louis Blues) scored three times, with eight other Knights finding the back of the net twice.
As the teams enter the 2023 playoffs on close to even ground, the matchup holds some importance for Owen Sound as they look to even their playoff record against the Knights, since renaming to the Attack. This year will mark the 6th time that the Knights and Attack will meet in the post-season, with London holding the lead in series wins at 3-2, but Owen Sound has claimed two of the last three playoff series these rivals have played, including the most recent, which was a sweep in a 2018 quarter-final showdown.
With the numbers favouring London, but recent playoff’s in Owen Sound’s favour, the next chapter of this Midwest rivalry is sure to be entertaining, with the opening puck drop set for Friday night in London.
Owen Sound will welcome the Knights to the Bayshore for games 3 & 4 of the series, with dates set for Tuesday April 4th and Thursday April 6th. Fans can purchase tickets for all Attack home playoff games at the MacVicor and McComb Sutton Realty Attack Box Office by calling 519-371-7452 or going online.
