Feb. 13/25 vs London: Highlights & Recap
The OHL’s marquee matchup on Thursday night took place at Sadlon Arena and featured the Eastern Conference-leading Barrie Colts (33-14-2-1) and the Western Conference-leading London Knights (40-8-1-0). This was just the second of two meetings this season between these two squads, London bested Barrie 5-4 in a tight game back in October. The Colts had been on an absolute tear heading into Thursday’s contest, they’d strung together a 10-game point streak that saw them go 9-0-1-0 over that span. Likewise, London had also been playing strong, sporting an 8-2-0-0 record across their last 10 games prior to Thursday. Barrie continued to rotate starts for their goaltenders as Ben Hrebik got the nod Thursday, after having the night off previously.
It was all London early in the opening frame, the Knights posted a goal and seven shots before Barrie could get any pucks on net. Not long after London opened the scoring, Emil Hemming found himself on a breakaway and made no mistake, tying the game at one goal apiece. London continued to control play throughout the period, and they found the back of the net again at the five-minute mark, retaking the lead 2-1. The Knights kept their foot on the gas, scoring on the powerplay to extend their lead to 3-1 with just a minute remaining in the period. All told, London led 3-1 and outshot Barrie 21-11 through just 20 minutes of play. Needless to say, the Colts would need to make some adjustments during the first intermission if they had any hopes of coming back in what was a monumental game for them.
Barrie started the middle frame off on the right foot when Anthony Romani fired one home before the period was three minutes old, his fifth goal as a Colt. The Knights responded to restore their lead at two goals just before the midway mark of the period, making it a 4-2 game. Barrie’s leading scorer Riley Patterson struck next, burying his 22nd on the year to bring the Colts back within one. London once again stifled the Colts’ comeback attempt with a goal of their own late in the frame, pushing their lead to 5-3. After a slightly better period, Barrie found themselves in an identical position to that of the first intermission, down two goals. One glance at the stat sheet would reveal London’s dominance in this game, they’d posted a staggering 37 shots through two periods, dwarfing Barrie’s 20.
Colts rookie Defenceman Ethan Armstrong kicked off the period with his first OHL goal on a slapshot from the blue line, bringing Barrie within one. The seesaw teetered once again when London responded with a goal of their own less than three minutes after Armstrong’s tally, giving themselves a 6-4 lead. Just two minutes later, the Knights potted a pair of goals in a 35-second span, extending their lead to four and doubling the Colts goal total 8-4. The game became much more physical at this juncture, with multiple brawls breaking out late in the third and Barrie displaying their frustration. Ultimately, London walked away victorious in an 8-4 rout.
Barrie’s porous defence in Thursday’s game was uncharacteristic of them this season. Their meeting with London marked the first time the Colts had given up more than six goals in a game thus far, and they’d only given up six twice prior to Thursday. The Colts’ loss won’t drop them from their spot atop the conference but does end their 10-game point streak. London keeps rolling, notching their 41st win in ’24-’25, further solidifying their lead over Kitchener and Windsor out west. Barring a meeting in the OHL Championship, this was the final matchup between the Colts and Knights this season.
