London Knights head into Christmas break with lopsided win over Sarnia

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The London Knights have served notice to the rest of the Ontario Hockey League time and again this season.

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Even without some of the biggest stars in junior hockey here, they’re still a winning machine.

The Knights pounded Sarnia 6-1 before 9,061 Friday at Canada Life Place for their fourth victory in five games without Canadian world junior players Easton Cowan, Oliver Bonk and Sam Dickinson. No matter who’s in the lineup, they are the best team in the Canadian Hockey League heading into the Christmas break.

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“Missing guys hurts,” said forward Blake Montgomery, who scored his 10th goal in 12 games as part of a three-point outing, “but we have such a deep roster, we can still play to our full capabilities. We can beat anyone on any night.

“You get used to (moving around lines), but you can play well with anyone we’ve got on this team.”

Captain Denver Barkey is producing at a high level again. Sam O’Reilly and Jacob Julien are picking up their scoring pace.

Montgomery, the Senators prospect, made a rush and pass to set up Barkey that was sublime to watch. Rookie first-rounder Logan Hawery is making the most of his extra ice time.

“I’ve been hyping him up before every game – saying he’s due,” Montgomery said of the 16-year-old. “He gets two (goals) now and I’m very happy for him.”

INJURY CONCERN: The only bummer for London was an early injury to centre Will Nicholl, who never returned after a cross-check by Sting defenceman Hughston Hurt.

The Knights called it an upper-body injury and the 18-year-old will be re-evaluated Saturday before heading home to the Ottawa area.

“It wasn’t anything egregious,” London assistant coach Dylan Hunter said. “Sometimes, it just happens. We watched it over again. We’ll see how he progresses. It’s good timing for it. He gets a (week) break and we’ll see how it goes.”

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London winger Noah Aboflan earned an instigator by starting a fight with Hurt largely in response to the Nicholl incident.

“He (Hurt) came after him, hit our guy and having guys stick up for their teammates is what you need,” Montgomery said.

Aboflan could be up against the league’s three-fight threshold after that bout. The Knights were hoping Sarnia’s Dylan Luecke would be issued the instigator for starting a late tilt with an initially reluctant Rene Van Bommel, but he wasn’t.

That was No. 3 for Van Bommel this season so he faces suspension after the next one.

“I thought (Luecke) dropped the gloves first,” Dylan Hunter said, “but (Van Bommel) is a tough kid and was ready for it.”

STEADMAN TRIBUTE: The Knights held a pre-game moment of silence for Carol Steadman, the ‘glue of the Hunter family’ who passed away Monday. She was the mother of assistant coach Rick Steadman and sister of head coach Dale Hunter and GM Mark Hunter.

“She arranged for everybody, cared for everybody, worried for everybody – just a fantastic gal,” Mark Hunter said. “She went to hockey games and loved it. She came to the games here and was the most friendly person you’d ever been around.”

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The family held a celebration of Carol’s life Thursday afternoon at the Brigden Fairgrounds. Rick Steadman missed his second straight game to deal with his mother’s passing, but he is expected to return after the holiday break.

“This group spent a lot of time together,” Dylan Hunter said, “and a guy like Rick is a father figure. He has a connection to the players on another level. They reached out to him – (Barkey) gave him a call. Rick was watching the game and was texting me. We got a good penalty kill (six-for-six) for him.”

The Knights responded by delivering two lopsided wins this week. Sarnia coach Alan Letang, a long-time friend of the Steadmans, offered his support, too.

“It was a shock, especially this time of year,” he said. “Our best wishes to them, for sure. The (Sarnia-London) rivalry is only between the first and third periods. I have tons of respect for them and they have been great to me in my career. They’ve supported me whenever I needed help when I was playing or coaching.

“I owe them a lot.”

BAD CALL?: Letang wasn’t happy with the explanation he received from referee Ryan Jenken after a failed coach’s challenge for interference against Landon Sim before Montgomery’s first-period goal. That tally, with Sim right in Sting goalie Nick Surzycia’s grill, stood up as the eventual winner.

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“He (Jenken) said our guy pushed him in and I didn’t see it that way,” Letang said. “That’s a discretionary call. The rule states if a foot goes in the crease and it’s not moved out, the goalie has the right to the top of his paint.

“It’s a little bit of the difference of the game but we didn’t play well enough.”

The Sting had been on the rise lately, but this visit left a sour taste.

“We gave them way too much time and space,” Letang said. “We gave them too much respect and didn’t close quick enough. When you give a team like that time, they’re going to make 3-4 passes and put it in the back of your net.”

AROUND THE RINK: The Knights also held a moment of silence to mark the two-year anniversary of Abakar Kazbekov’s death, which was on Dec. 17. The club’s Western Conference championship banner from 2023 – captured after beating the Sting in a six-game series – includes the Russian’s No. 15 in the Canada Life Place rafters . . . Londoners Brett Seney, Colton White and former Knight Sam Gagner were named to Canada’s Spengler Cup roster for the tournament starting Boxing Day in Davos, Switzerland. Seney is playing for Rockford and White is with Utica in the American league. The 35-year-old Gagner, who hasn’t played professionally this season, has ‘Hockey Canada’ listed as his club team on the roster . . . The Knights honoured long-time radio voice Mike Stubbs for his service to the team before the game. The league’s premier play-by-play guy started with the club 30 years ago, has called more than 2,000 games and so many great moments in team history . . . Nice to see former Knights captain Max Domi scoring some goals again with the Maple Leafs. He and Bo Horvat turn 30 years old in 2025. Where does the time go? . . . Austin Elliott, sporting full Knights gear now, recorded his 14th straight win in the London net. The over-ager owns an incredible 72-14-5 regular-season in his major junior career, which started with a good Saskatoon Blades team . . . Montgomery is heading to Bermuda, along with older brother and ex-Knight Bryce, for the holidays. “On a plane at 6 a.m. (Saturday),” he said. “It’ll be nice to visit.” . . . Defenceman Cam Allen had two more assists, giving him five points in his first two games with London since arriving from Guelph. Ex-Knight Noah Jenken, in his second game with Guelph, scored twice in a win over Sault Ste. Marie Friday.

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rpyette@postmedia.com

OHL HOCKEY

Knights 6, Sting 1

London goals: Denver Barkey (2), Logan Hawery (2), Sam O’Reilly, Blake Montgomery

Sarnia goal: Ryan Brown

Next: The Knights are in Flint Sunday, Dec. 29 at 4 p.m.

Friday at Canada Life Place

Knights 6, Sting 1

First period

1., London, O’Reilly 13 (Allen, Elliott) 3:32

2. Sarnia, Brown 9 (Filak, Beamish) 10:42

3. London, Montgomery 10 (O’Reilly, Brzustewicz) 18:28 (pp)

Penalties – Karimov, Sar (high-sticking double minor) 5:48, Allen, Ldn (slashing) 8:21, Hurt, Sar (fighting), Aboflan, Ldn (fight instigator, 10-minute misconduct) 11:44, Johnston, Sar (slashing) 14:17, Karimov, Sar (slashing) 18:28.

Second period

4. London, Barkey 6 (Montgomery, Allen) 1:33

5. London, Hawery 3 (Van Gorp) 2:49

Penalties – Spencer, Ldn (holding) 4:06, Woolley, Ldn (high-sticking) 8:58, Young, Sar (holding) 9:15, Hurt, Sar (slashing), Johnston, Sar, Woolley, Ldn (10-minute misconduct) 19:34.

Third period

6. London, Barkey 7 (O’Reilly, Montgomery) 3:15 (pp)

7. London, Hawery 4 (Read, Brzustewicz) 15:29

Penalties – Hurt, Sar (head check) 2:43, Luecke, Sar, Van Bommel, Ldn (fighting) 7:54, Read, Ldn (faceoff violation) 10:38, Brzustewicz, Ldn (delay of game) 11:41, Franceschetti, Sar (roughing) 20:00.

Shots on goal by

Sar 6 7 14–27

Ldn 9 14 13–36

Power plays: Sar 0-6. Ldn 2-7.

Goalies: Surzycia (L, 8-19). Elliott, Ldn (W, 14-0).

Referees – Ryan Jenken, Scott Ferguson. Linesmen – Brendan Barletta, Dan Kovachik.

Attendance – 9,061 (9,061)

Three stars: 1., Blake Montgomery, Knights; 2. Denver Barkey, Knights; 3. Logan Hawery, Knights

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