KNIGHTS HOPING TO BE CROWNED OHL CHAMPIONS IN OSHAWA

Knights Hoping to be Crowned OHL Champions in Oshawa

By Yannis Economopoulos

LONDON, Ont. – After a miraculous five-goal comeback in Game 3, the London Knights took a commanding 3-0 lead in the OHL Championship Series after defeating the Oshawa Generals 7-6 in double overtime on Monday night. With a win tonight, they’ll capture their fifth J. Ross Robertson Cup in franchise history.

Scouting the Knights (15-2-0)

The Green and Gold went into the playoffs on a seven-game win streak and a 16-3-1-0 record in their last 20 contests. They went a perfect 10-0-0 before losing their first game to Saginaw in the West Final.

Easton Cowan, the 2024 OHL Most Outstanding Player, had three assists on Monday and extended his point streak to six games, all of which have been multi-point performances. In that span, the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect has six goals and 18 points. His 30 points lead the playoffs, while his 21 helpers are second.

Kasper Halttunen, who leads the postseason with 15 goals, had four points and secured a second consecutive hat-trick on Monday night. Over his three-game point streak, the San Jose Sharks prospect, who has the most playoff goals by an import player since 1981, has six tallies and eight points.

After a two-assist outing on Monday, Denver Barkey extended his point streak to five games – four of which are multi-point performances. Through 17 postseason appearances, the Philadelphia Flyers prospect has 24 points, good for second on the team and fifth in the league.

Oliver Bonk recorded his third consecutive multi-point and second consecutive three-point outing with a goal and two assists in Game 3. His 16 postseason points are second amongst blueliners.

In Game 3, Max McCue extended his point streak to six, Ruslan Gazizov to four, and Jacob Julien to three.

Special Teams

Regular Season

• Power Play: 32.6% (1st)
• Penalty Kill: 85% (1st)

Playoffs

• Power Play: 34.4%
• Penalty Kill: 82.4%

Know the Foe – Oshawa Generals (12-5-3)

In the first round, the Oshawa Generals defeated the Barrie Colts in six games, swept the Ottawa 67’s in round two, and then defeated the North Bay Battalion in seven games to advance to the OHL Championship.

Calum Ritchie, the second overall selection by Oshawa in the 2021 OHL draft, broke out this season with a team-leading 80 points and 52 assists through 50 appearances. This postseason, the Colorado Avalanche prospect leads the league with 22 assists, while his 29 points are good for second. Ritchie, who has 11 multi-point outings in 20 playoff games, registered four points in the Game 3 loss.

Dylan Roobroeck, a London native, also had a career year with 72 points on 26 goals and 46 assists. His 25 playoff points are fourth league-wide, while his 11 goals are third. Roobroeck, a sixth-round selection to the New York Rangers in the 2023 NHL draft, notched four points in Game 3.

Connor Lockhart (2G) and Luca D’Amato (2A) also had multi-point performances for Oshawa on Monday.

Special Teams

Regular Season

• Power Play: 21.5% (9th)
• Penalty Kill: 83.2% (2nd)

Playoffs

• Power Play: 19.5%
• Penalty Kill: 73.9%

Game 4 goes tonight from the Tribute Communities Centre. The puck drops at 7:00 p.m. EST.