LIVE: Round 2, Game 2 – London Knights vs. Kitchener Rangers

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If the Knights can carry this sort of effort to Kitchener, the sequence received’t final an excessive amount of longer.

It wasn’t the notorious 10-Three blowout of the Rangers again on Jan. 20 right here, however their 5-1 Sport 2 win earlier than 9,036 Saturday at Budweiser Gardens held a number of acquainted parts.

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“It’s large,” London’s fiery veteran defenceman Jackson Edward mentioned. “Any time we are able to run up the rating and beat down on a workforce, we like it.”

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The Knights once more rammed Kitchener defenceman Simon Motew at each flip. They pressured blue-line anchor Matt Andonovski into some undisciplined penalties and he shattered his stick whereas being escorted off the ice early. Rangers ahead Luke Ellinas rushed over to struggle Landon Sim after the scrappy London skater drew a third-period penalty.

Are the Blueshirts exhibiting some frustration?

“I don’t care,” mentioned Edward, who has a aim and 4 factors prior to now two video games. “We’re targeted on us.”

PERFECT PK: The Rangers are an offensively gifted membership, however went 0-for-10 with the person benefit in two video games on the Bud.

London erased a five-minute benefit on Sam O’Reilly’s boarding main Thursday, then took care of 1:50 of a 5-on-Three with the sport nonetheless doubtful within the second interval Saturday. That’s excellent penalty killing by the No. 1 unit within the league this yr and got here at essential occasions when Kitchener may have flipped momentum.

“One of the best kills are ones which are determined,” Edward mentioned. “We need to be determined on unfastened pucks and I feel we do this properly. We put a number of belief in our kill and don’t attempt to put an excessive amount of stress on the massive ones.

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“We all know our talent set and simply take each kill separately.”

The Knights are a flamable crew. They misplaced Denver Barkey for a half-period as a result of chirping at a referee and Max McCue was handed a misconduct together with Kitchener checking-line ahead Antonino Pugliese after the linesmen foiled their struggle try.

“Barkey received scorching and I do this, too,” large London ahead Kaleb Lawrence mentioned. “McCue, that ought to’ve been a struggle there. I don’t know what the refs are doing. They don’t need exhausting hockey and that’s precisely how we play.

“We’ll hold doing that and hopefully, allow them to (go) subsequent time.”

It’s that model of hockey that has helped them win six straight within the playoffs. 9 completely different gamers have scored for London within the first two Kitchener video games and that’s a depth few groups within the junior ranks can match.

“This was a very good sport for us,” Lawrence mentioned. “We wanted one like this. We have been good, not nice, in our first 5. Everyone seems to be chipping in for us. All 4 traces have been going and Henry (Brzustewicz), Evan Van Gorp and Sawyer (Boulton) have been superb for us.

“Our defence is all the time rock stable and Michael (Simpson) is unbelievable again there.”

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O’REILLY BAN: Sam O’Reilly was suspended two video games by the league for the boarding main towards Kitchener defenceman Olivier Savard Thursday. Savard, who was damage on the play, didn’t return to the sport and missed Saturday’s contest.

“Reside, I assumed it could be possibly a two (minute penalty), however that’s why I like they will watch it on video,” London assistant coach Dylan Hunter mentioned. “It’s not like they’re making a snap judgment dwell like we’re. I respect them once they can take two minutes, talk about it and make that decision.”

The Knights clearly miss O’Reilly, certainly one of their 20-goal males this season.

“He’s a two-way centre,” Hunter mentioned. “He’s stable, can penalty kill and slot entrance and energy play. He’s taking part in 15-20 minutes however you’re going to run into stuff like this in playoffs. You’ll by no means have a clear run. There’ll all the time be accidents or suspensions.”

Will Nicholl assumed O’Reilly’s spot within the lineup and was efficient. Brzustewicz received to play towards his brother Hunter of the Rangers for the primary time within the playoffs. The rookie defenceman was moved up entrance in his return to the lineup and scored.

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“He’s a reasonably good proper winger,” Hunter mentioned. “We all know he can flip him again if want be.”

GREAT MOMENT: London defenceman Sam Dickinson and goaltender Michael Simpson have been a part of the Knights crew that mobbed billet brother Carter Hicks after the Jr. Knights grad was chosen 24th general by Windsor within the OHL draft Friday.

“I moved into their home final yr proper round Christmas time,” Dickinson mentioned. “It was actually cool to be there and be part of that and see how he’s grown over the previous yr. We’re actually excited and pleased for him.”

“It’ll be fascinating with him away now. It’ll be slightly completely different subsequent yr.”

The 2 defencemen hearth pucks within the household’s capturing room within the basement. Does Simpson ever strap on the pads down there?

“No approach,” Dickinson mentioned. “He shoots with us on an empty internet with targets.”

AROUND THE RINK: Lawrence has scored London’s first aim in each Kitchener video games and has 5 objectives in six playoff outings. The most recent occurred 40 seconds into the primary interval. “It was nice to get this constructing into it,” the over-ager mentioned. “We now have the very best one within the league and once they get into it, that’s what occurs.” . . . The Knights received their 13th straight tilt. They haven’t misplaced since a 5-Four defeat March 6 in Guelph . . . Easton Cowan’s private level streak is as much as 42 video games, however it was a wrestle on this one. He had a power-play aim known as again within the third interval for an offside and his second help on Jacob Julien’s second-period marker was dominated to haven’t bounced off Oliver Bonk’s skate in entrance. It appears actually shut on video . . . Are you able to imagine it? London scored with the web off its moorings for the second straight sport. Kasper Halttunen’s effort truly went into the unfastened cage and was much less contentious than Denver Barkey’s on Thursday – even when it appeared to bounce off the Finn’s skate. It was reviewed briefly. “I don’t even know what occurred,” he mentioned. “I attempted to swing on the puck and it went in. It was a aim.”  . . . London’s first three draft picks – Logan Hawery, Caleb Mitchell, Max Mews – have been launched on the sport Saturday . . . Barkey was slapped with a 10-minute misconduct after a doubtful roughing name late within the first interval. That prompted the primary of many anti-ref chants by the Knights trustworthy, who have been uninterested in all the facility performs and misconducts known as . .  . The London Nationals and St. Marys Lincolns will play the deciding Sport 7 of their GOJHL Western convention last Sunday, 7 p.m. at Western Truthful.

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rpyette@postmedia.com

OHL PLAYOFFS

Knights 5, Rangers 1
(London leads best-of-seven Western convention semifinal 2-0)

London objectives: Kaleb Lawrence, Kasper Halttunen, Henry Brzustewicz, Jacob Julien, Jackson Edward
Kitchener aim: Carson Rehkopf
Subsequent: Sport Three is Tuesday, 7 p.m. on the Memorial Auditorium.

GAME SUMMARY

Saturday at Budweiser Gardens
Knights 5, Rangers 1

First interval
1., London, Lawrence 5 (McCue, Edward) 0:40
2. Kitchener, Rehkopf 5 (Sale, Mesar) 6:57
3. London, Halttunen 4 (Nicholl, George) 11:31
Penalties – Nicholl, Ldn (slashing) 8:49, Sale, Equipment, Edward, Ldn (roughing) 18:24, Barkey, Ldn (roughing, 10-minute misconduct) 19:27.

Second interval
4. London, Brzustewicz 1 (Halttunen, Simpson) 2:36
5. London, Julien 1 (Halttunen, Cowan) 6:16 (pp)
Penalties – Mercer, Equipment (interference) 5:35, Mercer, Equipment (10-minute misconduct), 6:16, Edward, Ldn (slashing) 7:14, Lawrence, Ldn (unsportsmanlike conduct) 12:39, Brzustewicz, Equipment (cross-checking) 14:21, Lawrence, Ldn (boarding) 15:41, Edward, Ldn (interference) 15:51, Andonovski, Equipment (cross-checking) 18:22.

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Third interval
6. London, Edward 1 (Lawrence, Sim) 7:43
Penalties – Pugliese, Equipment, McCue, Ldn (10-minute misconduct) 1:51, Andonovski, Equipment (interference) 5:39, Andonovski, Equipment (10-minute misconduct), Bottineau, Equipment (roughing), Ellinas, Equipment, Sim, Ldn (preventing,l 10-minute misconduct) 10:26, Motew, Equipment (roughing) 10:50.

Pictures on aim by
Kitchener 8 12 4–24
London Eight Eight 9–25

Energy performs: Equipment 0-6. Ldn 1-6.

Goalies: Parsons, Equipment (L, 4-4). Simpson, Ldn (W, 6-0).

Referees – Brendan Kane, Ryan Harrison. Linesmen – Dustin McCrank, David Milne.

Attendance – 9,036 (9,036).

Three stars: 1. Kasper Halttunen, Knights; 2. Jackson Edward, Knights; 3. Kaleb Lawrence, Knights

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