Series HQ: London vs. Soo

Game 5 –  Soo Greyhounds 4 at London Knights 0

• Carter George made 25 saves for his first playoff shutout.
• Marco Mignosa had two goals and two assists.
• Brady Martin had a goal and two assists.
• Chase Reid also scored for the Hounds.

Game Centre

Game 4 –  London Knights 4 at Soo Greyhounds 1

• Jacob Vandeven scored his first career OHL goal for the Knights
• Ryan Brown recorded a natural hat-trick, including his first career playoff goal
• After recently signing with the Oilers, William Nicholl posted a pair of assists for London
• Aleksei Medvedev was nearly perfect in net, stopping 25/26 to record the win

Game Centre

Game 3 –  London Knights 2 at Soo Greyhounds 3 – 2OT

• Carson Andrew delivered the game winner in the second overtime period.
• Callum Croskery had a goal and an assist for the Soo.
• Carter George made 28 stops in the win.
• Sebastian Gatto put forth a valiant effort, stopping 42 shots.

Game Centre

Game 2 – Soo Greyhounds 3 at London Knights 2 – OT

• Brady Martin’s first of the playoffs was the OT winner.
• Marco Mignosa had a goal and two assists for the second consecutive game.
• Carter George made 32 stops for the victory.
• Braiden Clark and Linus Funck scored for London.

Game Centre

Game 1 – Soo Greyhounds 4 at London Knights 1

• Jeremy Martin scored twice in the win.
• Marco Mignosa had a goal and two assists, while Brady Martin added three helpers.
• Carter George made 23 saves in the win.
• Jaxon Cover had the only London goal.

Game Centre

 

(4) London Knights (40-23-4-1) vs. (5) Soo Greyhounds (39-23-1-5)

The defending Memorial Cup champions are back. The London Knights return to the OHL Playoffs for the 25th consecutive year, but standing in their way in the first round are the Soo Greyhounds – a hungry, retooled club with championship aspirations of their own. 

In four regular-season meetings this year, three were decided by a single goal, and just one point separated them in the final standings. Home ice advantage wasn’t even settled until the final day of the regular season. Simply put, this is the kind of first-round matchup you couldn’t script any better.

 

London Knights

Don’t let the roster turnover fool you, you can never count out Dale Hunter and the London Knights. After losing the bulk of their championship core at the end of last season, London made some eyebrow-raising moves at the trade deadline, most notably shipping then-captain Sam O’Reilly and defenceman Jared Wooley off to Kitchener. Yet somehow, the Knights never flinched, remaining firmly in contention throughout the Western Conference all season long.

Their offensive engine has been kept running by Ryan Brown, Jaxon Cover, and Braidy Wassilyn, and on the blue line, veteran Henry Brzustewicz has been everything the Knights could ask for as a dependable two-way presence who set new career highs in both goals and assists this season.

Between the pipes, Aleksei Medvedev, who was one half of the Memorial Cup-winning goaltending tandem last season, has shared duties with newcomer Sebastian Gatto, though Gatto appears to have earned the starting nod down the stretch. Regardless of who gets the crease to start the series, both goaltenders seem to be ready for the challenge.  

 

Soo Greyhounds

The Greyhounds were active at the deadline, and for good reason, as this team believes it can make a deep run. Their marquee acquisition came from the Owen Sound Attack in the form of goaltender Carter George, who wasted absolutely no time making his presence felt in the Soo. He opened his tenure with a 5-0 record and a pair of shutouts, and also etched his name in the record books by becoming the first netminder in OHL history to score two career goals. His second? Against the London Knights, back in late January. Needless to say, George arrives for the playoffs with plenty of momentum, and a little extra motivation against this particular opponent. Up front, 300-game veteran Marco Mignoso brings leadership and offensive reliability to the lineup, while Chase Reid has turned heads on the back end and is considered one of the more intriguing names heading into the upcoming NHL Draft. But perhaps the most important development for the Greyhounds is the anticipated return to full health of captain Brady Martin. Limited to just 24 games this season due to injury, Martin is ready to bring both offensive spark and a physical edge to a Soo lineup that will need every weapon available.

 

With how close these two have been this whole season, parity doesn’t begin to describe it. London carries the weight of a championship pedigree and the experience of deep playoff runs ingrained in their culture under the Hunters. The Greyhounds, meanwhile, counter with a hot goaltender and a lineup quietly capable of matching the Knights stride for stride.

If Soo can stay healthy, get contributions up and down their roster, and ride Carter George’s momentum, they have every tool needed to pull off the series win. But London has been here before, many times, and that never counts for nothing.

 

Series Schedule:

* if needed

Game 1 – Friday, March 27 at London, 7:00pm

Game 2 – Sunday, March 29 at London, 6:00pm

Game 3 – Tuesday, March 31 at Sault Ste. Marie, 8:07pm

Game 4 – Wednesday, April 1 at Sault Ste. Marie, 7:07pm

Game 5 – Friday, April 3 at London, 7:00pm*

Game 6 – Sunday, April 5 at Sault Ste. Marie, 7:07pm*

Game 7 – Tuesday, April 7 at London, 7:00pm*

 

Season Series:

London wins 3-1

Nov. 16 – SOO 2 at LDN 3 – SO

Nov. 22 – LDN 4 at SOO 3

Jan. 21 – LDN 2 at SOO 5

Feb. 13 – SOO 3 at LDN 4 – SO

 

Playoff History:

This marks the fourth time that London and Soo have met in the OHL Playoffs. 

2007 LDN def. SOO 4-0 – First Round, 2006 LDN def. SOO 4-0 – First Round, 1988 LDN def. SOO 4-2 – First Round.