Storm, Knights take rivalry to next level
Patrick King, Sportsnet.ca – The Guelph Storm and London Knights will take their rivalry to the next level in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series on Friday Night Hockey.
Although not historical rivals, this series should intensify and ultimately define what could become one of the Ontario Hockey League’s biggest rivalries. The Knights are the back-to-back J. Ross Robertson Cup holders as OHL champs while the Storm captured the Hamilton Spectator Trophy as regular season winners this season.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Watch Game 1 of the OHL second-round playoff series between the Guelph Storm and London Knights on Sportsnet ONE Friday starting at 7:30 p.m. EST
With a semifinal berth on the line, this is where rivalries are built.
“It takes two teams to have a rivalry,” Storm head coach Scott Walker says. “The London Knights have held up their end. They’ve been the two-time champions, they’re hosting the Memorial Cup, they’re going to go to the Memorial Cup three years in a row, which is pretty impressive in junior hockey. They’ve held up their end; now we have to hold up our end of the bargain and play hard. I think our players are excited for the challenge.”
WHAT’S ON THE LINE?
After each team quickly dispatched of their first-round opponents, the playoffs essentially start on Friday with this huge tilt. In any other year, this matchup could have been a round later but due to the strength of the Western Conference, the Storm finished first with 108 points while the Knights were the fourth-seed with five fewer points and the third-most overall.
