Sarnia Sting edge London Knights 3-2 in first of home and home
Two second-period power play goals by Nolan Burke and Sasha Pastujov helped the Sarnia Sting to defeat the London Knights 3-2 on Friday night at Budweiser Gardens.
The Sting victory ended London’s winning streak at nine games.
The Knights came out with an absolutely electric start and had eight shots on goal just three minutes and one second into the game, but the Sting struck first after all of those London shots were stopped by Ben Gaudreau in the Sarnia net.
Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Luca Del Bel Belluz wired a slap shot inside the left post at the 5:43 mark of the first period.
The Knights came back and tied the game a little less than five minutes later when London defenceman Jackson Edward won a board battle in his own zone and got the puck ahead to Easton Cowan and Denver Barkey. Barkey got across the Sting blue line and fed Cowan in the slot. Cowan dished to Sam Dickinson to the left of the Sarnia net and the 16-year old buried his sixth goal of the season and it was 1-1.
The two goals on the man advantage gave the Sting a two-goal lead going into the final 20 minutes.
Ruslan Gazizov got the Knights to within a goal as he went to the Sarnia net and rode a feed from Sean McGurn over the goal line. The play was reviewed to make sure the puck had crossed the line and then challenged by Sarnia and after a lengthy review stood to make it 3-2.
Brochu made two whopper stops with his glove to keep London one shot away into the final minutes when Brochu went to the bench. Gaudreau and the Sting held from there.
Sarnia outshot the Knights 38-37.
Former London Knight Olli Maatta has signed a two-year contract extension with the Detroit Red WIngs. Maatta is currently in his first season with the Wings but his tenth in the National Hockey League. He helped the Knights to win back-to-back OHL championships in 2012 and 2013. Maatta was a massive producer in the first of those titles, putting up six goals and 23 points in nine games.
The Brock Badgers are looking for a long run in the OUA playoffs in 2023. They have put themselves within a win of the Western Conference semi-finals with a 2-0 shutout of the Laurier Golden Hawks on Feb. 15. Two former Knights accounted for all of the scoring in the game as Tyler Rollo and Cole Tymkin scored goals exactly six minutes and 30 seconds apart.
Tymkin spent four seasons with London from 2016-20. Rollo was acquired by the Knights from the Peterborough Petes in 2018. Rollo is in his fifth year with the Badgers. Tymkin is in his second season.
London and the Sting meet in the second of back-to-back games on Saturday, Feb. 18, in Sarnia, Ont.
After that the Knights will host the Windsor Spitfires on Family Day at 2 p.m.
Coverage can be heard beginning at 6:30 p.m. from Sarnia and at 1:30 p.m. against the Spitfires on 980 CFPL, at www.980cfpl.ca and on the Radioplayer Canada app.
by 980 CFPL
