The top team in each conference has emerged to do battle for the J. Ross Robertson Cup in a series that begins Thursday in London.
(2w) LONDON KNIGHTS (45-21-2-0) vs. (4E) PETERBOROUGH PETES (35-29-2-2)
In a series that features two of the Ontario Hockey League’s iconic franchises, both the London Knights and Peterborough Petes have set their sights on the league’s ultimate prize – the J. Ross Robertson Cup.
Winning the Midwest Division by a 17-point margin and finishing two points out of the first seed, the London Knights fought their way through the Western Conference while only losing three times. After a first-round sweep of the Owen Sound Attack, the Knights beat the Kitchener Rangers in five games before lining up against the powerhouse Sarnia Sting in the Conference Finals. After the teams split the opening four games, each winning a pair at home, London followed up a Game 5 win at Budweiser Gardens with an enthralling Game 6 victory in Sarnia to secure the Wayne Gretzky Trophy.
The Knights are led by co-captains Sean McGurn (7-15-22) and George Diaco (5-10-15), but the “Twinterton” line of Ryan Winterton (11-11-22), Denver Barkey (9-12-21), and Easton Cowan (6-11-17) has stepped up massively in the playoffs. Winterton, in particular, has proved to be invaluable for London: the Seattle Kraken prospect scored in every game against the Sting and finished the Western Conference Championship Series with 11 points in six games (7-4-11).
“They’re younger guys, but it’s like they’ve been in the league for a while,” said Diaco of Barkey and Cowan.
“And Winterton just gets better every game. He’s a really good player and they fit well together.
On the backend, Montreal Canadiens first-round pick Logan Mailloux (6-11-17) leads the way for London, while rookies Oliver Bonk (0-8-8) and Sam Dickinson (2-4-6) round out a blue line that has conceded just 33 goals across 15 playoff games.
After overage goaltender Brett Brochu went down with an injury in Game 2 against Sarnia, rookie netminder Zach Bowen has taken over the crease. The 18-year-old stopped 53 of the 56 shots he faced throughout Games 5 and 6 to secure the Knights’ place in the OHL Final. Coach Dale Hunter spoke highly of his performance.
“During the year he had a really good record. He came in when Brochu wasn’t playing and was good, and he has confidence from that,” explained Hunter.
“He’s young, so he didn’t play this much all year. But when he did come in, he was really good.”
Although this edition of the Knights might not feature as much star power as in previous years they have advanced this far, coach Hunter is adamant the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
“They’re playing together. When you play together as a team, they enjoy each other,” he said.
“You can tell on the ice that they want to win for each other. That’s what successful teams need.”
Finishing fourth in the East, the Petes knocked off the Hamilton Spectator Trophy winners, the Ottawa 67’s in six games after making light work of the Sudbury Wolves in Round One. In the Eastern Conference Championship Series, Peterborough triumphed over the North Bay Battalion in a series that went the distance. Trailing in the third period facing elimination in Game 6, blueliner Sam Mayer scored the equalizer before Avery Hayes come through in the extra frame, sending the series to North Bay for Game 7 where the Petes delivered a 3-2 victory.
Heading into the season, Peterborough was led by speedy local product J.R. Avon (6-5-11) and two-way pivot Tucker Robertson (5-8-13). However, they acquired 2019 third-overall pick Connor Lockhart in August and made a big splash at the trade deadline, acquiring forwards Brennan Othmann (7-13-20), Owen Beck (6-7-13), and Avery Hayes (8-4-12) as well as defenceman Gavin White (1-3-4).
After a pedestrian finish to the regular season, there were some doubts about how far this team could go in the postseason. Those doubts were eradicated after their first-round sweep of the Wolves. Head coach Rob Wilson praised his team for buying in 100% to his plan once the puck dropped in Game 1.
“We are showing everybody that this team was built for the playoffs and it’s been a good run – but it’s not over,” he said.
Robertson explained how operating as a cohesive unit and believing in one another will continue to be essential in the pursuit of a championship.
“People were counting us out [in Game 6 in 7 against North Bay]. We came together like the brotherhood we are, so we have to take that into the series against London.”
The Petes feature a Londoner in the crease as former London Jr. Knights U16 AAA netminder Michael Simpson returns to the Forest City for his biggest moment yet. The 20-year-old goaltender was a workhorse for the Petes, leading the league in minutes played (2,989) and saves (1,442) while finished tied for the lead in shutouts (5) during the regular season.
While the Knights are without a key overager in Brochu, the Petes finished the job in Game 7 without overage captain Shawn Spearing, who took a puck to the face while blocking a shot in North Bay. Should Spearing remain sidelined to start the Championship Series, he’d join suspended blueliner Cam Gauvreau in the stands as he sits out Games 1 and 2 of the series serving the rest of a four-game suspension.
Tickets will be hard to come by in this series, as the Knights have grown accustomed to sellouts at Budweiser Gardens, while the Peterborough Petes have sold out the Peterborough Memorial Centre in 11 straight home games.
The Knights and Petes meet in the OHL Playoffs for the first time since the 2006 OHL Championship Series when a Peterborough team featuring names like Jordan Staal, Jamie Tardif, Daniel Ryder and Patrick Kaleta hoisted the Robertson Cup following a four-game sweep under legendary coach Dick Todd.
OHL Championship Series Schedule:
Game 1 – Thursday, May 11 at London, 7:00pm (Rogers tv, YourTV, OHL Action Pak, OHL Live)
Game 2 – Saturday, May 13 at London, 7:00pm (Rogers tv, YourTV, OHL Action Pak, OHL Live)
Game 3 – Monday, May 15 at Peterborough, 7:00pm (TSN, OHL Live)
Game 4 – Wednesday, May 17 at Peterborough, 7:30pm (TSN, OHL Live)
Game 5 – Friday, May 19 at London, 7:30pm (TSN, OHL Live)*
Game 6 – Sunday, May 21 at Peterborough, 7:00pm (TSN, OHL Live)*
Game 7 – Monday, May 22 at London, 7:00pm (TSN, OHL Live)*
*- if necessary
