Petes Snap Knights' Streak
December 10, 2019 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
London Knights News Release
Liam Kirk scored a goal and assisted on two others as the Peterborough Petes stopped a couple of London Knights streaks with 3-2 on Thursday at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.
The Peterborough victory on Teddy Bear Toss night ended a seven-game winning streak by the Knights and also saw Connor McMichael's 17-game scoring streak come to an end.
The Petes also kept London's power play silent as they killed off six Knights chances, which included two opportunities at 5-on-3.
"They were doing everything right on the penalty kill," said London assistant coach Dylan Hunter.
"They were taking away [McMichael] as much as they could and we had to work it around to different options. They were also jumping on pucks and winning draws and that helped them."
Faceoffs have been a major strength for the Knights this season, but Peterborough had the advantage on Thursday, winning just shy of 62 per cent of the draws.
London missed Billy Moskal, who served the first game of a four-game suspension that he was given for a hit on Greyhounds defenceman Holden Wale.
Goaltending was another big storyline. Dylan Myskiw of the Knights and Hunter Jones of the Petes combined to keep the game scoreless for the first 31 minutes and 49 seconds before the Petes got the first goal of the game to bring down the teddy bears on a routine dump-in.
Myskiw ended the game with 29 saves, including a point-blank stop in the first period. Jones made 32 saves in front of Dale Hunter, who he will be auditioning for at Team Canada's final selection camp ahead of the World Junior Hockey Championship, where Hunter will be the head coach.
"Jones played well," pointed out Dylan Hunter, when asked whether playing in front of Dale Hunter might have given him some added incentive.
"His rebound control was excellent. He made a good case for himself."
Hudson Wilson of the Petes got the scoring going on a complete fluke of a goal when he put the puck into the London zone and it ended up going off the boards, off the skate of Knights defenceman Gerard Keane and just over the goal line in behind Myskiw.
That goal seemed to charge up the London side and they tied it two minutes and 25 seconds later. Luke Evangelista stole a puck in the Peterborough zone and fed it to Tonio Stranges in the slot and Stranges ripped home his sixth goal in five straight games.
The Petes went ahead again as Nick Robertson netted his 20th goal of the season. He had missed time recently with a broken finger.
Peterborough used a power play to take their biggest lead of the game on a tip-in by Kirk at 5:16 of the third period.
Stranges got London to within a goal again by getting his seventh goal in five games with just under nine minutes remaining, but the Petes held on.
The game was a matchup of the top team in the Eastern Conference against the top team in the Western Conference. The two points the Petes earned moved them into sole possession of first place in the overall Ontario Hockey League standings.
The Knights headed right back to London after the game. They will host Owen Sound on Friday night at Budweiser Gardens as they hold their annual Teddy Bear toss.
Dylan Hunter added that if there is a positive out of the game, it's that London plays again right away.
"The good thing about this is we can focus on our work ethic going into tomorrow and hopefully come out with a better result."
Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 10, 2019
- Attack and Wawanesa Raise $1800 and Collect 550 New Toys - Owen Sound Attack
- Attack Lose to Four Goal Effort from Gogolev and Storm - Owen Sound Attack
- Rangers Blank the Knights 4-0 in the Teddy Bear Game - Kitchener Rangers
- Vaughn CHL Team of the Week Unveiled - OHL
- Hunter Jones Named Peterborough Petes Players of the Week for the Week Ending December 8 - Peterborough Petes
- Dennis, Oulahen Take Reins - North Bay Battalion
- Knights Well Represented at Team Canada World Junior Selection Camp - London Knights
- Petes Snap Knights' Streak - London Knights
- Game Preview: Guelph Storm at Owen Sound Attack - Guelph Storm
- Feel the Force Thursday, Support SickKids Saturday - Peterborough Petes
- 25 Years of the Teddy Bear Toss - Kitchener Rangers
- Wolves Host Otters and Attack in Double Header Weekend Action - Sudbury Wolves
- Ottawa 67's 2019 Fourth Round Pick Ranvir Gill-Shane Commits to Club - Ottawa 67's
- Struthers Named Huron Tractor Player of the Week - Owen Sound Attack
- Vitali Pinchuk Competing in IIHF U20 Division 1A World Championship - Kingston Frontenacs
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