Sting Snap Five-Game Skid With 5–1 Win Over Knights
By Carl Chimenti
Patrick Quinlan delivered a stellar performance between the pipes as the Sarnia Sting snapped a five-game losing streak with a convincing 5–1 victory over the London Knights on Wednesday afternoon at Canada Life Place.
Quinlan turned aside 26 of 27 shots, stopping eight in the first period, six in the second, and 12 in the third. His strong outing earned him First Star honours as the Sting improved to 11-21-4-1 on the season.
Sarnia pulled away with two goals in both the second and third periods, showcasing strong special teams and timely scoring. Defenseman Kaden Aucoin scored the first OHL goal of his career in memorable fashion, racing past a London defender to the puck and finishing on a shorthanded breakaway. The unassisted marker was Sarnia’s third shorthanded goal of the season and earned Aucoin Third Star recognition.
Easton Walos and Mitch Young each recorded a goal and an assist, while captain Alessandro Di Iorio highlighted the night with a dazzling spin-o-rama move to set up Walos’ 12th goal of the season, sealing the Sting’s first win of the year in the Finch Battle of the 402.
Beckham Edwards continued his strong play with his second goal in as many games and team-leading 14th of the season. Rookie Brenner Lammens added his third goal of the year, while Jordan Bax chipped in with two assists. Hughston Hurt and Di Iorio each added a helper.
London’s lone goal came on the power play from defenseman Henry Brzustewicz (Los Angeles Kings), who was named Second Star. The Knights finished 1-for-6 on the power play, while the Sting went 0-for-3. Both teams recorded 27 shots on goal.
The Knights struck first in a fast-paced opening period, with Brzustewicz scoring at 13:55 on the man advantage. Sarnia responded late in the frame when Edwards capitalized on a loose puck off the end boards, tying the game at 18:24 with assists from Walos and Bax. London outshot Sarnia 9–4 in the period.
The Sting controlled the second period, outshooting the Knights 11–6 and scoring twice. Lammens opened the scoring at 11:17 after taking a pass from Young at center ice and beating goaltender Medvedev with a soft shot. Young then made it 3–1 at 17:51, stepping out of the penalty box and firing a shot over Medvedev’s shoulder off assists from Bax and Hurt.
Sarnia carried that momentum into the third, closing out a strong team effort to secure the 5–1 victory.
