KNIGHTS SQUANDER LEAD
By Ryan Pyette The London Free Press
KITCHENER — Phil Varone said goodbye to the London Knights on Tuesday afternoon.
“We talked and everyone gave him a hug,” defenceman Michael D’Orazio said.
Then Varone departed for Erie to try to help the Otters out of last place and back into a playoff position. And the Knights headed to a bus bound for the Aud to face the Kitchener Rangers.
London is used to playing without Varone. He’s been hurt a lot the last few years.
But this was final.
“It’s tough to see him go through what he did,” D’Orazio said. “I’ve known him for basically my whole life. He got injured and never got a chance to get back in the lineup.
“That happens sometimes. It’s the business of hockey.”
The business of hockey is winning.
But for the second time in five days, the Knights squandered a third-period lead, and lost 3-2 to the Rangers.
Kitchener over-ager Matt Tipoff banged home a loose rebound after London goalie Michael Houser was stripped of the puck and tried to make a desperate toe save.
The Knights couldn’t recover. They ended the game with a 52-second five-on-three but couldn’t score.
The Knights are hitching a lot to the shutdown horses Chris DeSousa, Stephen Sanza and Tyler Brown, who opened the scoring in the second with some nice hands.
Ryan Murphy, Kitchener’s Ryan Ellis clone, tied it on a deflected slapper on the power play.
Cody Donnay scored his first OHL goal pinball-style off a defenceman to give the Knights a 2-1 lead in the third. But the Rangers tied it after a Jarred Tinordi tripping penalty. Rookie first-rounder Matia Marcantuoni slid the puck under Houser.
The Knights still don’t have a captain, but it’s clear that wasn’t going to happen until the fourth and final extra over-ager was moved.
D’Orazio, Sanza and DeSousa had been playing lately with a great deal of success. But it always involved looking over their shoulder.
They knew Varone’s knee was healthy. They knew it was only a matter of time until GM Mark Hunter pulled the trigger.
“It’s a relief in a way,” D’Orazio said. “You always know you have the extra guy there and until the move is made, there’s uncertainty.”
This is a strange season for over-age players. There is a surplus from the 1990 birth year.
“Every year is different. It does seem there are a lot this time for some reason.”
That doesn’t mean the remaining three are guaranteed jobs. Three or four poor outings in a row, they won’t be safe.
“Just because you’re still here doesn’t mean you can take it for granted,” D’Orazio said. “It’s always like that here (in London). If you don’t play well, you’re not going to be here no matter if there’s only three of us left or not.”
D’Orazio has been the Knights’ most consistent defenceman so far. He has played mostly with sophomore Scott Harrington since the two have built-in chemistry from last year. But he has taken some spins lately with Jarred Tinordi, who tossed around Rangers bodies like rag dolls on the Aud ice.
He never had to take his turn sitting out as a healthy scratch. He wouldn’t allow it to happen.
“My approach this year was to . . . do whatever I could to stay in the lineup,” he said. “I’m just going to continue to work as hard as I can.”
Sanza still doesn’t produce at a 20-goal scorer level, but he’s fast, a great penalty killer and you can’t argue with his record.
Game glance
Rangers 3, Knights 2
Kitchener goals: Ryan Murphy, Matia Marcantuoni, Matt Tipoff
London goals: Tyler Brown,
Cody Donnay
Next: The Knights are home Friday against the Guelph Storm. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at the John Labatt Centre.
