Greyhounds Defeat Knights
February 25, 2018 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
London Knights News Release
A late surge by the Soo Greyhounds pushed them past the London Knights 6-2 on Sunday afternoon at Budweiser Gardens.
Zack Trott, Taylor Raddysh and Hayden Verbeek all scored third-period goals to open up what had been a back-and-forth battle up to that point.
The Greyhounds are now one win away from 50 on the season and still have a shot at a couple of Ontario Hockey League records set by the Knights in 2004-05.
That year London won 59 games, lost just six and amassed 120 total points. All three are still mathematical possibilities for Sault Ste. Marie.
The Greyhounds have spent 22 weeks in the Canadian Hockey League rankings, most of those at number one.
Knights' captain Evan Bouchard admitted after the game that the Soo is a difficult team to contain when they get rolling.
"Once they got momentum, they didn't slow down and they buried their chances. We created chances - we just didn't bury all of ours."
Still, Bouchard was satisfied with the effort that London turned in.
"We showed that we can compete with teams [of that calibre]. We had a few breakdowns and good teams are going to capitalize on those."
Bouchard gave a special nod to Knights' goalie and former Soo Greyhound Joseph Raaymakers for his 39-save effort against his old team.
"He was unreal today like he has been all season. Unfortunately, we couldn't help him out more than we did, but he played strong, like always."
Despite the loss, London secured a playoff spot after Erie lost 7-3 in Windsor.
With nine games to go in their 2017-18 regular season schedule, the Knights are one point behind the Owen Sound Attack for fourth place in the Western Conference.
How the goals were scored
Anaheim Ducks prospect Jack Kopacka got a great chance, in tight in the first period, but London goalie Joseph Raaymakers made a big glove save to stop him. Kopacka got a second chance minutes later and made good to give the Soo Greyhounds a 1-0 lead.
Andrew Perrott tied the game with his fourth goal of the season as he settled down a puck at the right point, took a step or two and then wired a shot past former London goalie Tyler Johnson and the teams sat even at 1-1 through 20 minutes.
Sault Ste. Marie went ahead 2-1 on Morgan Frost's 36th of the year as he knocked in a centering feed at at 1:17 of the second period.
Again, London tied it. On a power play, Evan Bouchard blasted a puck from the blue line that Johnson stopped, but Nathan Dunkley popped in the rebound at 4:24 to make it 2-2. It was Dunkley's 50th point of the season.
With the Knights on another man advantage later in the period, Tim Gettinger grabbed a puck just outside the Greyhounds' blue line and raced down the ice with Frost on a 2-on-1. Gettinger fed Frost for his second of the game and Sault Ste. Marie led 3-2 after two periods...
For the full story, head to https://globalnews.ca/news/4046931/greyhounds-defeat-knights-as-london-clinches-playoff-spot/
The Knights will return home to take on the Guelph Storm on Wednesday, March 7 at 7:00pm. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Aluminum Associates London Knights Armoury, at the OMAC Mortgages London Knights Box Office, over the phone by calling 519-681-0800 EXT. 1.
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