REJUVENATED KNIGHTS POWER THROUGH SPITFIRES
KNIGHTS 6, SPITFIRES 3
This is a far different London Knights team than the one the Windsor Spitfires beat just before the Christmas break.
The four veterans that were missing from the lineup are back from world junior camps along with head coach Dale Hunter while the Knights also added two veterans at the Ontario Hockey League trade deadline.
Looking poised and polished, the Knights put an end to Windsor’s three-game winning streak with a 6-3 win before a season-high crowd of 5,866 at the WFCU Centre as the Spitfires lost for just the fourth time in regulation in 22 games at home this season.
The Knights, who have eight players that have been taken in the NHL draft in the lineup, had an answer for every Windsor threat as London claimed its ninth win in the last 10 games and pulled within two points of the idle Kitchener Rangers for the top spot in the Midwest Division with a game in hand.
The Spitfires had the Knights pinned in their own zone for the first two minutes of the game and London captain Alec Regula took a tripping penalty early, but Windsor could do nothing with the man advantage and the visiting team quickly found its legs.
Nathan Dunkley picked off a lazy pass and found Hunter Skinner, whose point shot rang off the crossbar and in to put the Knights on the board first.
Curtis Douglas tied the game for the Spitfires with a goal in his fourth-straight game and sixth in six games, but Windsor could not get to the intermission even.
Luke Evangelista’s shot was stopped, but Antonio Stranges pounced on the rebound to put the Knights up 2-1 with 3.6 seconds left in the opening period.
London’s veteran experience showed again early in the second period with the Spitfires again on the power play. Evangelista forced a turnover in the Windsor end and the Knights simply played long pass around the rink.
The Spitfires were never able to regain possession and Evangelista fed Jason Willms in the faceoff circle to push London’s lead to 3-1.
Will Cuylle got the Spitfires back to within a goal, but the Knights answered three-minutes later with Evangelista burying a puck from a scramble in the crease with under two minutes to play in the period.
Before the Spitfires could recover, Dunkley got behind the Windsor defence and beat Kari Piiroinen to put London up 5-2 after 40 minutes.
Rookie Xavier Medina replaced Piiroinen to start the third period, but the move did not spark the Spitfires, who have split four games with the Knights this season.
London’s Jonathan Gruden extended London’s lead to four goals before Windsor’s Daniel D’amico scored late on a power play in the third period as the Knights handed Hunter his 800th career OHL victory.