Meckler a great find

New Knight scores two goals in victory over 67’s
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By MORRIS DALLA COSTA, FREE PRESS SPORTS COLUMNIST
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It’s not hard to see why the Knights brought David Meckler to London.
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The 19-year-old, who fled Yale in the Ivy League and signed with the Knights this past offseason, did everything expected of him in their 6-2 win yesterday over the Ottawa 67’s before 8,800 fans at the John Labatt Centre.
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Meckler scored twice. He was strong in front of the net. He fired the puck hard from the point on the power play. He worked the corners and was a stabilizing influence on whatever line head coach Dale Hunter put him on.
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That just about covers everything a player can do.
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It was the second two-goal game of his brief OHL career and his teammates were trying hard to get him the hat-trick.
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Many in the building thought he’d done it with five seconds left in the game when he bombed a shot from the point and it found its way past 67’s netminder Brady Morrison.
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The famous hat-trick sombrero even made its way onto the ice. But Knights rookie Adam Hasani had tipped the puck for his first goal.
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“It happened to me in Erie. They tried to get (the hat trick) for me,” Meckler said. “Dale kept me out there (yesterday) for a while and I actually thought I had it at the end, but Hasani had a great tip.
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“I know what it’s like to have trouble scoring your first goal. Now Hasani’s got it and it’s great. When I found out it was Adam, I was very excited for him. He played a great game and deserved it. Now we can get him a few more.”
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It’s that type of team attitude that will quickly make Meckler a popular player.
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The fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings wasn’t happy at Yale and the Knights got a heads-up from Dave Hunter, brother of Dale and GM Mark Hunter. Dave Hunter was told by workout partner and former NHLer Curt Brackenbury that Meckler, who lives in the Chicago area, might be available.
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“He told Dave, ‘I know this guy. He’s hungry. He’s a player,’ ” Dale Hunter said. “Mark remembered him from scouting three years ago. We meet him, talked to him. He’s a character guy, a guy who works hard. He’s strong. In front you have to take punishment and he isn’t afraid to take it. He’s quicker than you think. He’s a power forward.”
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Meckler said once he made the decision to play in the OHL, he began to ask around.
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“Every person I talked to told me from an organization view, London was No. 1. I called them. They knew me, I came here, fell in love with the town and the coaching staff.”
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Meckler scored the goal that was the momentum changer yesterday. It was 1-1 seven minutes into the second period and the Knights had the better of the play, but it was one of those games where nothing much was happening.
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They were on a power play and weren’t being particularly successful. Hunter called a timeout. When the teams came back out, the power play had a different look.
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“Dale’s a very aware coach,” Meckler said. “He was watching what they were doing. They were playing very passive. So he made a great decision. He told us he wanted us to shoot more. He put a couple of guys in front and that’s we did.”
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Hunter said the 67’s were playing a tight box. “I told them to get the puck to the point and let Sergei (Kostitsyn) shoot. Shoot the puck and it’ll go in.”
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That’s what happened. Only it was Sam Gagner who shot the puck and Meckler tipped it. The Knights were in control from that point on.
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Gagner enjoyed another outstanding game, picking up three assists to go with a goal. His 17 points in five games tie him for the league lead.
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The Knights scored three power-play goals and 67’s coach Brian Kilrea was brief with his comments.
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“With fines and suspensions, all I’m going to say is if you don’t have anything good to say about it, don’t say anything,” he said of the calls.
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The Knights didn’t have forward Jordan Foreman, serving the first game of a two-game suspension for his game misconduct for going into the Sudbury bench to fight Friday.
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