KNIGHTS vs GENERALS | ROUND FOUR GAME ONE
Cowan Explodes for Five Points as Knights Take Game 1
By Yannis Economopoulos
LONDON, Ont. – Easton Cowan’s five-point outing guided the London Knights to a 1-0 series lead after they defeated the Oshawa Generals 8-1 in Game 1 of the OHL Championship Series.
Cowan, the league’s Most Outstanding Player, scored, dished four assists, and extended his point streak to four games – which have all been multi-point performances. The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect has a team-leading 16 assists, 10 power play assists, and 24 points this postseason.
London (13-2-0) blueliner Oliver Bonk scored twice in the contest, including the game’s opening tally. From his usual bumper position on the power play, the Philadelphia Flyers prospect received a pass from Jacob Julien before wiring a one-timer past Oshawa (13-4-2) netminder Jacob Oster. Less than a minute into the middle frame, Bonk buried his second on a shot from the far circle to make it 3-0 London.
Ruslan Gazizov also had a two-goal performance, and both markers came from similar one-time plays in the third period. Meanwhile, Michael Simpson shut the door for the Knights in a 24-save win.
Jared Woolley, along with Julien, who notched two assists, and Denver Barkey, who had a helper of his own, rounded out the scoring for the Knights, while Sam Dickinson tallied three assists.
Connor Lockhart scored the lone goal for the Generals, and Oster made 25 saves before being pulled in the third period for Noah Bender, who stopped eight of nine shots.
Game 2 is on Saturday night from Budweiser Gardens.