Knights have Cowan and momentum on their side
Once the calendar turned to January, two of the most storied franchises in Ontario Hockey League history really went to work separating themselves from the pack. And four months later, they find themselves in the final competing for the J. Ross Robertson Cup and a berth in the Memorial Cup.
From Jan. 1, the Knights compiled a mind-boggling 28-2-3 record en route to first overall, while the Generals almost kept pace with a 25-6-5 mark, including a 12-game win streak to finish the season atop the Eastern Conference. The Knights won seven in a row to end the regular season. And even though the Generals almost blew a 3-0 series lead in the Eastern final before winning Game 7 against the North Bay Battalion, it’s clear the best two teams are in the final, which begins Thursday in London with all games televised nationally on TSN.
“Both teams are here for a reason,” said Knights coach Dale Hunter, a man of few words and many penalty minutes in his NHL days. “We have good players.”
There is no disputing that. The Knights roster is experienced and chock full of stars at the junior level. In fact, it would be easier to list the Knights who haven’t been drafted by NHL teams than the ones who
have. They are led by top Maple Leafs prospect in Easton Cowan, who cut an impressive swath through the league. He not only put together a 36-game point streak (one that was extended by six in the playoffs) but also finished first in the OHL in short-handed points (14), tied for fourth in power-play points (33) and was second in points per game (1.78).
“He plays a complete game,” Hunter said. “He kills penalties and blocks shots. He can play centre or wing, which is key. That’s why he can play centre, because he concentrates on both sides of the puck.”
The Knights have 10 players who have been taken in NHL drafts, while the Generals have four. This year, Knights defenceman Sam Dickinson and Generals rightwinger Beckett Sennecke, who grew up together playing in the Toronto Marlies minor hockey association, are both expected to go in the first round. Sennecke, who has been a playoff standout with 10 goals and 22 points in 16 games, missed Game 7 of the Eastern final with an injury and Generals coach Derek Laxdal would not disclose whether the forward will be available for Game 1.
The Knights, who are favoured in the series, are looking to get to the Memorial Cup after losing last year’s OHL final to the Peterborough Petes in six games. Laxdal is looking to usurp the Knights once again, just as he did when he coached the Edmonton Oil Kings to the Memorial Cup in 2014 in London, beating the Knights during the round-robin portion of the tournament. As for the regular season, the Knights finished 15 points ahead of the Generals, but the teams were evenly matched when they played each other. The Knights beat the Generals 4-3 in overtime Feb. 11, with Cowan scoring the overtime winner, and the Generals defeated the Knights 6-4 on Feb. 28 as part of their 12-game streak. Of the two losses the Knights suffered after Jan. 1, one was to the Generals.
“The only thing that did was give us two games of video,” Laxdal said of the games against the Knights. “We didn’t get here by surprise. We earned it.”
The winner of the series will move on to the Memorial Cup, which will also feature the host Saginaw Spirit, who lost in six games to the Knights in the Western Conference final. They’ll be joined by the winner between the Moose Jaw Warriors and Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League final, and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League champion: the Baie-Comeau Drakkar or Drummondville Voltigeurs.
“They’re a talented team and we’re a talented team,” Laxdal said. “Any time you play the London Knights, it’s going to be a challenge, it’s going to be a heavy load, and I don’t expect anything different in the final.”