KNIGHTS vs FIREBIRDS | ROUND ONE GAME TWO

Halttunen and McCue guide Knights to a 2-0 series lead

By Yannis Economopoulos

LONDON, ON – Kasper Halttunen scored twice, Max McCue had a three-point outing (1G, 2A), and the London Knights skated their way to a 2-0 series lead after a 6-4 victory against the Flint Firebirds on Easter Sunday.

Just over two and a half minutes into Halttunen’s second Ontario Hockey League playoff game, he put the Knights (2-0-0) ahead 1-0 on a one-time blast from the top of the right circle. Then, early in the middle frame, the Finnish forward buried another, this time on the power play from the left faceoff dot.

At the midway mark of the first period, Flint (0-2-0) tied the game at one on the man advantage, but with some luck. Team captain Coulson Pitre bolted down the right wing and threw the puck in the slot before it took a bounce off the skate of London blueliner Oliver Bonk and beat netminder Michael Simpson.

Shortly after, the Firebirds went ahead 2-1 on a similar play. Oliver Peer, Flint’s regular season points leader (80), took a shot from the left circle that deflected off London’s Isaiah George before trickling into the net. A minute later, the overage forward intercepted a pass, then deked Simpson to bury his second of the game and give Flint a 3-1 lead. The Burlington, Ont. native notched a team-high three points.

Before the opening frame ended, George fired a shot into the top left corner after receiving a pass from McCue, who was down low. Following Halttunen’s early second-period goal, McCue put the green and gold ahead 4-3 on a tap-in finish in front of the net.

In the third, Firebirds forward Nathan Aspinall knotted things at four, but Bonk and Denver Barkey scored late for the Knights to put the game away.

Simpson registered an 18-save win, while Nathan Day stopped 33 shots for the Firebirds.

Game 3 is set for Tuesday night in Flint.