London Knights advance in OHL playoffs after lopsided win in Owen Sound
London Knights rookie Noah Read scored three times and added an assist to lead the Knights to an 8-4 victory and a first round sweep of the Owen Sound Attack on April 3, 2025 at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.
Read was also a plus-4.
Denver Barkey moved into a tie for the OHL playoff scoring lead with his fifth goal and 11th point in four games. Barkey would later take the scoring lead with an assist.
The London captain got to a loose puck off the faceoff in the Attack end, got to the slot, spun and rifled a shot past Owen Sound goalie Carter George at 6:36 of the first period to make it 1-0 for the Knights.
Masen Wray tied the game for the Attack at 12:22 of the opening period when he slammed home a shot on a two-on-one.
That tie lasted 14 seconds.
Off a faceoff in the Owen Sound zone London defenceman Cam Allen grabbed a puck and showed off a head-fake that shook him free for a skate right to the net where Allen ripped a wrist shot into the back of the Attack net and the Knights led 2-1 going into the first intermission.
Kasper Halttunen showed off the shot that saw him recognized as having the hardest shot and best shot in the Western Conference Coaches Poll to get the first goal of the second period as he wired a wrister from the slot to put London ahead 3-1.
Noah Read took a pass from Sam Dickinson, went to the net and scored his first of the playoffs at 10:02 and that goal seemed to hit some kind of turbo boost for the Knights.
Fifteen seconds later, Denver Barkey fed Easton Cowan and it was 5-1 for London.
The Knights kept up some relentless pressure and scored again when Dickinson’s snap shot found the back of the Attack net at 12:52.
Wray got one of those goals back at 18:15 on a power play but less than one minute after that Blake Montgomery found Read for his second goal of the period and London led 7-2 through two periods.
The Knights racked up 41 shots on George during the first 40 minutes of the game and gave up only 12 shots against.
David Bedkowski scored early in the third period for Owen Sound to cut into the London lead but Read’s hat trick goal took any steam away from an attempted comeback.
Wray completed his own hat trick for the Attack with 2:18 remaining to complete the scoring.
Dickinson ended the game with a goal and an assist.
Evan Van Gorp had a pair of assists.
The Knights outshot Owen Sound 53-19.
London was 0-for-2 on the power play.
The Attack were 1-for-4.
Seven Knights named in Western Conference Coaches PollThe 2024-25 coaches poll results came out on Apr. 3 and six London Knights players were recognized:
Sam O’Reilly: Best defensive forwardKasper Halttunen: Best shot and hardest shotDenver Barkey: Second-best stickhandler and third in vote for smartest player and best playmakerEaston Cowan: Second-best shootout shooter and third in vote for best penalty killerOliver Bonk: Second-best defensive defenceman and third in voting for best shot blockerSam Dickinson: Second-best offensive defenceman and third in voting for best skater
Austin Elliott: Third-best shootout goaltender
globalnews
