Will Nicholl’s third goal of the season combined with some stifling defence led the London Knights to a 4-1 victory over the Sarnia Sting on Jan. 16 at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena.
The win clinched the season series and Battle of the 402 between the teams. The Knights have won four of the six meetings between the two clubs.
Nicholl scored the eventual game winner at the 6:10 mark of the opening period and London began to clamp down.
Up 3-1 in the third period the Knights did not surrender a single shot to Sarnia over the final 20 minutes.
Seb Gatto held the Knights in the game early, making seven straight saves before London’s first shot and that first shot went in.
London forward Rene Van Bommel took the puck hard to the net and Jaxon Cover poked it past Kale Osipenko for his 10th goal of the season.
Osipenko was making his second career Ontario Hockey League start.
The first shot of Osipenko’s first start went in as well but he shut the door from there on the Kingston Frontenacs and picked up his first OHL victory in net.
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London changed the script as they scored on their second shot just 23 seconds later.
Cohen Bidgood found Nicholl and he went hard to the net and the puck went off Osipenko and in for a 2-0 Knights lead.
That advantage carried into the middle period and almost through the entire second period before Alessandro Di Iorio of the Sting found Ben Pickell in front of the net to cut the score to 2-1 for London with 2:55 to go.
With 2:18 to go in the second period, the Knights restored their two-goal lead when a puck went off a leg in the Sarnia end and right to Caleb Mitchell, who snapped a shot high and London went to the dressing room ahead 3-1.
The Knights played about as textbook a third period as a team can.
London outshot Sarnia 10-0 over the final 20 minutes.
Henry Brzustewicz slapped a puck down the ice and into an empty net with 52.3 seconds remaining in the game to close out the scoring.
The Knights outshot the Sting 32-22.
Both teams were 0-for-2 on the power play.
Three new members of the Don Brankley London Knights Hall of Fame
The London Knights have unveiled the names of three new members of the Don Brankley London Knights Hall of Fame.
Rocky Farr, Brandon Prust and Jim Sandlak make up the class of 2026 and will be honoured at a ceremony on Feb. 20, before the Knights face the Barrie Colts at Canada Life Place.
Up next
The Knights will stay on the road for their next two games as Disney on Ice takes over Canada Life Place.
London will be in Owen Sound on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 4 p.m., to face the Attack.
The Knights are 3-0-1 against Owen Sound this season but two of the four games have gone to overtime and another was decided in a shootout.
London will be going up against former teammate Julian Brown for the first time since he was moved to the Attack at the OHL trade deadline.
Owen Sound has not beaten the Knights in regulation since Feb. 25, 2023.
Coverage will begin at 3:30 p.m., on 980 CFPL, at www.980cfpl.ca and on the iHeart Radio and Radioplayer Canada apps.
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