Barkey, Cowan Propel the Knights to a 2-0 Series Lead
London Knights captain Denver Barkey scored once and added three assists as the Knights downed the Erie Otters 7-2 on Apr. 12 at Canada Life Place.
For the second game in a row the Otters opened the scoring on a power play and for the second game in a row the goal started with a shot from Pano Fimis. In Game 1 that shot went in. In Game 2 it produced a rebound that Sam Alfano swept over the goal line for a 1-0 Otter lead just 5:57 into the game.
From there a hit by Ty Henry on Kasper Halttunen produced a penalty and seemed to jump-start the Knights and they scored three straight.
Cam Allen swung a behind-the-back pass to Nicholl and Nicholl moved across the Erie blue line and wired a shot past Noah Erliden to tie the game 1-1 at 9:27. Barkey started a play in his own zone and then finished it at the other end of the ice to make it 2-1 London at the 14:32 mark as he started a break out and then eventually took a feed from behind the net from Nicholl and scored. Blake Montgomery broke up a pass in centre ice just under three minutes later and then corralled a puck off a dump-in that came off the end glass and into the slot and the Knights led 3-1 through 20 minutes.
Sim scored his fifth goal of the playoffs at 13:15 of the second period on a drop-pass from Halttunen but the Otters got that back on a power play just under four minutes later and the score sat 4-2 into the final minute. That’s when Cowan grabbed a puck on the left wing side of the ice and spun his way by a defender, took the puck to the net and deked home his fifth of the post-season with just 9.9 seconds left on the clock. Cowan’s goal was scored on Charlie Burns who entered the Erie net with 3:33 to go in the second period.
Barkey used a stretch pass to free up Cowan just 1:08 into the third period and Cowan’s second goal of the night and sixth goal of the playoffs and that made it 6-2 for London. Barkey set up Henry Brzustewicz as he faked like he was going to take the puck behind the Otter goal but put a pass back behind him to Brzustewicz for a tap-in and a 7-2 lead.
Barkey is now averaging better than three points per game in the post season with 17 points in the six games they have played in 2025.
London as a team has scored at least six goals in all six of those playoff games.
Easton Cowan scored twice for the Knights and had an assist and Will Nicholl had a goal and two assists.
Landon Sim had one goal and one assist for London
The Knights lead the best-of-7 series two games to none as the series shifts to Erie on Tuesday.
