KNIGHTS GUT OUT A 7-2 WIN
It might sound like a blowout, but anyone who saw it in person knows better. An all-out effort Sunday in Guelph carried the London Knights to a 7-2 victory over the Guelph Storm to even their second round series 1-1 heading back to London.
The win was the Knights’ first at the Sleeman Centre this season.
It came right from the start for London as the Knights jumped out 2-0 in Guelph with two goals in the first six minutes of the game.
Mitchell Marner showed a very veteran move as he got to a puck inside his own zone and instead of trying to force something by carrying forward into traffic, he tapped the puck back behind the Knight net to defenceman Dakota Mermis. Then Marner played Magic Man through the neutral zone (now you see me, now you don’t) and was able to get behind the Guelph defense. Mermis waited patiently and then wired a pass right onto the stick of Marner. He skated in alone and shot the puck high over the glove of Guelph goalie, Justin Nicholls to put London up 1-0 just 2:03 into the game.
The Knights would then get a second goal on a nice move by captain, Chris Tierney. With London on the power play, the Keswick native grabbed a puck just outside the blue line, got through a couple of defenders and got a shot away that went through the legs of Nichols.
The Storm cut the London lead in half on a shot that originated from the blue line. Off a face-off in the London zone, the puck came back to Ben Harpur and his shot was tipped past Jake Patterson to make it 2-1.
London killed off three Storm power plays in the first and outshot Guelph 11-10.
Players battled through a tough 20 minutes in the second period and the London Knights were the better for it. Matt Rupert was knocked down and rolled over in the first shift of the period, but he kept chasing a puck and eventually got it in front to his twin brother, Ryan and 44 seconds into the frame, the Knights were up 3-1.
Less than five minutes later, Josh Anderson scored his 3rd of the playoffs near the end of a Knights’ power play to make it 4-1. That spelled the end of the evening for Nichols, as Storm coach Scott Walker pulled him in favour of rookie Matthew Mancina.
Patterson was called on to make some difficult stops for London and did. He made 18 saves in total in the second as Guelph outshot the Knights 28-22 through 40 minutes.
The Storm started the third period with an early goal to make things interesting as Pius Suter deflected a puck into the London net just 1:28 from the opening faceoff to cut the Knights’ lead 4-2.
Then Nikita Zadorov scored a key goal for London as they were killing a penalty. He blocked a pass and then led a 3-on-2 the other way. He finished the play with a wrist shot past Mancina for a 5-2 London lead.
Chris Tierney scored on a Knights’ power play, on a breakaway to make it 6-2 and then Tierney helped to set up Brett Welychka for the seventh London goal and his own fifth point of the game. Tierney is now tied for the OHL playoff scoring lead with 16 points in 6 games.
Guelph outshot London 34-33.
Game 3 goes Tuesday at 7:00 at Budweiser Gardens.
