Knights face off against historic rival in Conference Final

Knight Watch: London has won eight straight to open playoffs. Can they continue momentum against Kitchener Rangers?; Star goalie Jackson Parsons gives Kitchener a chance. Columnist Jake Jeffrey previews the matchup …

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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For the fourth straight year, the London Knights and Kitchener Rangers will face off in the postseason — this time, the Western Conference crown is on the line.

The Knights should be well-rested with seven full days off since completing a four-game sweep of the Erie Otters in Round 2. Meanwhile, Kitchener just wrapped up a grueling seven-game series with Windsor on Tuesday.

For London, the top line of Denver Barkey, Easton Cowan, and Sam O’Reilly continues to lead the way offensively. The trio has combined for 56 points through eight games.

Barkey says they’ve been able to work through the tight checking that is typical of playoff hockey.

“I think we have hockey smarts, but we also compete for pucks and get in on the forecheck to cause turnovers,” the Knights’ captain said. “We’re just looking to continue to do that, and if not, adjust and plan for the next games.”

Kitchener has plenty of momentum, winning four straight games to complete the comeback sweep of the Windsor Spitfires in Game 7 of their second round matchup.

Rangers captain Matthew Andonovski believes the teams are quite familiar with each other. The Knights have had the upper hand more often, but Kitchener did beat London in a No. 2 vs. No. 7 matchup back in 2022.

“It feels like every year we face these guys in the playoffs,” he said. “We know what to expect and what they bring. I’m super proud of our group and the adversity we’ve faced this year. We’re all excited for the upcoming series.”

Goaltending could be a factor, as two of the league’s best square off. The Knights’ Austin Elliott and the Rangers’ Jackson Parsons are the two most likely candidates for OHL Goaltender of the year. Parsons leads all postseason netminders in goals against average and save percentage, while Elliott topped those categories during the regular season.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

Parsons won 37 games this season. Elliott won 32 with a pretty formidable backup in Aleksei Medvedev picking up his share of wins as well. It’s tough to say who has the edge in this category.

Knights Head Coach Dale Hunter is expecting a battle.

“It’s been tight games all year long. Both teams are structured. They have their systems and we have ours, that’s why it’s going to be a good series.”

The Knights are seeking their third straight trip to the OHL Finals, while Kitchener is looking for its first trip since 2008.

Especially given the history between the two teams, this series has all the ingredients of a potential classic. It features the only 100-point teams in the OHL, and Kitchener is one of the few to beat London more than once this year. 

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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OHL Playoffs: Western Conference Final — London Knights (1) vs. Kitchener Rangers (3)

Game 1: Fri. Apr. 25 (7:00pm @ London)
Game 2: Sun. Apr. 27 (4:00pm @ London)
Game 3: Mon. Apr. 28 (7:00pm @ Kitchener)
Game 4: Wed. Apr. 30 (7:00pm @ Kitchener)
Game 5: Fri. May 2 (7:00pm @ London) (If necessary)*
Game 6: Sun. May 4 (2:00pm @ Kitchener) (If necessary)*
Game 7: Tues. May 6 (7:00pm @ London) (If necessary)*

KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS

9 - Captain Denver Barkey had nine goals in his first six playoff games, the highest scoring six-game output of his OHL career.

7 - Easton Cowan has points in all eight games so far this postseason, seven of which have been multi-point efforts.

8 - Sam Dickinson became the eighth Knight to win the Max Kaminsky trophy as the OHL’s Top Defenceman. He set a franchise record for single season points from a blueliner this year with 91. 

20 - Dating back to the regular season, Austin Elliott has won 20 straight games. He also won 20 straight to start the season.

A LOOK AT THE LOCALS

- Now with the Barrie Colts, Ilderton’s Owen Van Steensel is preparing for his fourth straight Eastern Conference Championship.

- Ryan Roobroeck (Niagara IceDogs) and Beckham Edwards (Sarnia Sting) were both named to Canada’s team at the U18 World Hockey Championship.

- It was a big Game 7 for Carter Hicks, who scored Windsor’s only goal in what would eventually be a 2-1 overtime loss to Kitchener.

AROUND THE OHL

East

Barrie (2) vs Oshawa (4) - Oshawa in 7 

Barrie won the first three games of the season series before Oshawa won their most recent meeting in overtime — although that was nearly three months ago. Colby Barlow and Dalyn Wakely lead their respective teams in points with 21 apiece. Oshawa’s Luca Marelli leads all defencemen in playoff scoring with 20 points. As one would expect from teams who’ve gotten this far, both have excellent goaltending — and some top-end NHL prospects. I give the slight edge to Oshawa.

West