KNIGHTS SET FOR SECOND SHOWDOWN
One down, three to go. The London Knights beat the Owen Sound Attack in their first matchup on Friday night at Budweiser Gardens by a score of 4-1. In front of a raucous crowd last night, the Knights took the first step forwards in playoff success.
The game kicked off with a star filled opening before the players enthusiastically stormed the ice. The energy in the building was palpable and both teams came out roaring and ready to play. Once the game started however, both London and Owen Sound tightened up their defensive schemes as the scoring chances in the entire first period were held to a minimum.
While the start of the game was tightly played, there were only two shots recorded in the first ten minutes of the game, one per team, the Knights were able to step up their play heading into period two. The second stanza was held scoreless until a beautiful effort put forth by Max Jones who scored on a rebound off of the pad of Michael McNiven. Diving for the loose puck, Jones potted the first goal of the game while in mid-air. What seemed like a split second action resulted in a huge goal for the Knights.
This diving effort made by Jones was quickly followed up by Cliff Pu who scored the eventual game winner on a perfectly executed 2-on-1 with linemate J.J. Piccinich three minutes later. “The poise he (Pu) had there” said Piccinich when describing the second period marker by Pu, “he showed you why he’s got a good shot. That was an unbelievable goal.”
The Knights will have to feed off of the momentum that has carried over from the regular season and Game One, to focus on Game Two, Saturday night. The Knights are one of, if not the hottest team in the Ontario Hockey League right now, sporting a 9-1-0-0 record in their last ten games, dating back to the regular season and including last night’s victory. While this streak is impressive, the team must remember that anything can happen in the playoffs and all of the regular season numbers are thrown out the window.
While yesterday’s matchup saw a lot of firsts, the first OHL playoff game for players like Jones and Piccinich, the first career OHL playoff goal for Jones and Pu, and the first win on the journey to the 2016 Mastercard Memorial Cup, there is only one number to focus on right now. Three. Three more wins to advance.
Game Two is scheduled for tonight at 7:00pm. Fan Fest will take place at the Covent Garden Market and Budweiser Gardens between 4:00pm-7:00pm, where you could win tickets to tonight’s game. You can also secure your tickets by calling 519-681-0800 x 1, visiting the Aluminum Associates London Knights Armoury, the OMAC Mortgages London Knights Box Office, or by going online to http://www.londonknights.com/page/tickets-i.
