LONDON, Ont. — The London Knights dropped their fourth straight game Friday night, falling 2–1 to the Brampton Steelheads at Canada Life Place.
The Knights, hoping to bounce back after two consecutive losses, started strong but couldn’t hold off a resurgent Brampton squad in the final period.
London assistant coach Dylan Hunter was optimistic going into the first and explained why the Knights have lost so far and what they need to do going into this game.
“You know what, just cleaning up some things,” said Hunter post-game. “We were right there in the game — a couple of penalties here and there. Trying to play five-on-five, we were fine. So, trying to stay out of the box.”
Penalties continued to be an issue for the Knights throughout the night. Jaxon Cover was called for hooking at 4:17 in the first period — the first of many infractions that would ultimately cost London.
First period
The Knights came out with energy in the opening frame. Brampton’s Troy Patton took two early penalties, giving London the man advantage. Jared Woolley capitalized with a goal against former Knight Zach Bowen, putting London up 1–0.
Cover was later called for hooking, resulting in four-on-four play, but both teams neutralized each other’s offensive chances.
The Steelheads struggled to stay disciplined, with Luke Dragusica called for holding and Rene Van Bommel for goalie interference. Brampton couldn’t take advantage of their own power play late in the period, and the Knights held onto their 1–0 lead.
Second period
Brampton began applying more pressure early in the second. The Steelheads registered the first three shots of the period, while London managed just one in the opening five minutes.
Goaltender Aleksei Medvedev held strong for London, turning away every Brampton attempt. But the penalties kept coming.
Steelheads forward Justin Bottineau was called for tripping, followed closely by Woolley for boarding, resulting in another stretch of four-on-four. Linus Funck was assessed a delay-of-game penalty shortly after, giving Brampton a two-man advantage. The Knights managed to kill it off and maintained their 1–0 lead heading into the third.
Third period
The Steelheads came alive in the final frame.
Cover had a breakaway opportunity early but failed to convert. Brampton capitalized minutes later, with Julian Demiglio scoring the first goal for Brampton at 5:44.
More penalty trouble followed for London, as Braiden Clark was called for cross-checking at 7:36. Although the Knights managed to kill the penalty, they couldn’t contain Brampton’s momentum. Just two minutes later, Gabe Chiarot found the back of the net to give the Steelheads a 2–1 lead.
Despite a few last-minute chances, including a missed opportunity on an open net, London couldn’t mount a comeback.
Post-game, Woolley spoke about adjusting to the return of players from NHL training camps.
“Sometimes it’s hard coming back,” said Woolley. “It’s a different game when you’re playing with some of those guys up there. So when you come back here, you just kind of got to get used to it again and get your feel. I mean, this is only game one for those guys coming back.”
The Knights faced the Erie Otters the next day, but again came up short, dropping to 0–4 to start the regular season. London will look to turn things around when they face the Flint Firebirds next, still in search of their first win.
