KNIGHTS’ OFFENCE FINDS ITS RHYTHM IN GAME FOUR

A series that saw the teams struggle to get shots early on, saw London and Owen Sound combine for 13 goals in Game 4 as the Knights won 8-5.

London now leads the best-of-seven series, three games to one with an opportunity to finish it out on Friday at 7:30pm at Budweiser Gardens.

Considering the bucket loads of goals on the scoreboard at the end, the game actually began in the diamond-encrusted shell that was the flavour of the series through the first three games. The Knights held the Attack without a shot on goal through 9:46 of the opening period. It was at that moment that Owen Sound found themselves on a 5-on-3 power play and they took advantage. Right off the faceoff, the puck came back to the middle of the blue line where diminutive forward, Petrus Palmu slapped it through a screen and into the London net.

The Knights responded on a 4-on-4 just two and a half minute later. Robert Thomas left the penalty box after serving a minor for too many on the ice and immediately broke up an Attack rush at the London blue line.

Moments later, Thomas chipped a puck to Christian Dvorak and went hard to the Owen Sound net. Dvorak slid a pass to the former York-Simcoe forward and he scored his first Ontario Hockey League playoff goal to tie the game.

The Attack jumped back in front at 14:29 as veteran forward Josh Sterk whacked a rebound out of the air and past Tyler Parsons.

The second period stayed calm for almost five minutes until a Knight power play produced the game-tying goal. Matthew Tkachuk snapped home his third goal in two games to tie Game Four 2-2.

Max Jones was assessed a 5-minute major for a check-to-the-head on Justin Brack and Thomas Schemitsch was given a slashing penalty, resulting in a 4-on-4 and London’s first lead of the game at 11:47 of the second.

Piccinich knocked down a puck in the Owen Sound zone and Cliff Pu zipped to it before anyone in an Attack sweater could find it. Pu then put on a circus show by skating in front, taking contact, spinning on his backhand and sliding the puck past Michael McNiven to make it 3-2 London.

The Attack got that back on the remainder of the 5-minute man-advantage. Veteran Bryson Cianfrone slapped a rebound into the Knight net from a sharp angle to take the game back to square one, tied 3-3. Then the Knights’ big line went to work with two goals in 14 seconds.

The first saw the puck whipped from Dvorak to Tkachuk to Marner going to the net for a tap-in and a 4-3 lead.

Off the faceoff at centre, the same trio flew back across the Owen Sound blue line and this time went Dvorak to Marner to Tkachuk in front and he got a one-handed swipe on the puck to score his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs and the Knights went to the dressing room ahead by two goals after 40 minutes.

Tkachuk finished the hat trick on the power play early in the third period. Knights’ rookie Evan Bouchard got a puck through a maze to the side of the Attack net and Tkachuk flashed the skill of his hands and put the puck in to make it 6-3.

Cliff Pu’s second of the game made it 7-3 for London as he grabbed a puck, and zoomed in on the Owen Sound net on a short-handed breakaway. Pu deked to the backhand for his third goal of the post-season.

Kevin Hancock fired a puck off the arm of Parsons and in on a power play at 11:14 to close the gap to 7-4.

Then with 1:06 remaining, Nick Suzuki converted a centring pass to make it 7-5 and that’s where the Owen Sound scoring stopped.

Tkachuk scored his fourth of the game into an empty net to end the scoreboard barrage.

Game 5 is back in London on Friday night at 7:30pm. The Knights will have a chance to clinch the series, leading three games to one. Tickets are available for purchase at 519-681-0800 x 1, at the OMAC Mortgages London Knights Box Office, at the Aluminum Associates London Knights Armoury or online at http://londonknights.com/page/tickets-i.