Knights look to lock up OHL title vs. IceDogs

The London Knights will look to capture their first J. Ross Robertson Cup since 2005 when they take on the Niagara IceDogs on Friday Night Hockey.

The Knights lead the Ontario Hockey League final 3-1 over the IceDogs, who won’t be an easy out. The IceDogs won the first game of this series in double-overtime, but lost the next three and now face a daunting task to overcome the deficit.

“We have to play our best game on Friday to keep this thing going,” said Marty Williamson, Niagara’s head coach and general manager. “We’re only looking at Friday. That’s the game we got to win and anything after that doesn’t matter to us at this point.”

Watch the London Knights take on the Niagara IceDogs on Friday Night Hockey on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific starting at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT

The Knights are like sharks to blood in water when they have another team against the ropes. London is 3-0 in elimination games, outscoring the opposition 17-8 in each of the three previous series-deciding games.

They know the IceDogs will put up a fight.

“We’re close and you know what, always the last game is the hardest game so we have to prepare as a hockey club and making sure we’re ready to go and focused and committed to winning that fourth game,” London head coach and GM Mark Hunter said.

One of Niagara’s wily veterans was already preaching his team look at the smaller picture, rather than trying to overcome the series deficit all at once.

“We’re just worrying about one game and we can’t look at it to win three games in a row,” overage forward Alex Friesen said. “We just have to worry about Friday night. I believe in this team. We have a great team. We have a lot of character on this team and I know we’re going to come out and play our best game Friday and that’s what we’re preparing for right now.”

Can the IceDogs generate more quality scoring chances?

The shot totals tell part of the story, but it’s misleading. The IceDogs outshot the Knights in three of the four games so far, but aren’t holding the same advantage from the standpoint of actual scoring chances. The Knights are relentless in guarding the front of their net while also being an opportunistic group.

“Too many mistakes (in Game 4) and they capitalized with their odd-man rushes,” Williamson noted. “When we made a mistake, it was a big one.”

London’s style is far from pretty, but it’s effective. Their defensive-zone coverage revolves around clogging the middle and forcing the play to the outside. They’re also getting strong efforts from their forwards in challenging the puck carriers at the blue line and in blocking shots.

“The whole team is very committed to trying to win a championship here,” Hunter said. “It’s been easy to coach when you have guys who will sacrifice their bodies. It’s been a pleasure to watch when you see all the little things.”

Many of the IceDogs’ go-to offensive players are struggling in this series. Ryan Strome has yet to score while the Hamilton brothers (Dougie and Freddie), Andrew Agozzino and Friesen have each been quiet, particularly the last two games.

Can the Knights’ scoring depth continue?

One reason the Knights are so difficult to defend is due to their balanced scoring. There’s not a single player they rely on for a goal since all four lines can step up, as can their defencemen. Nine of their 14 goals this series were scored by different players.

Five of the team’s goals were scored by the Rupert twins, Ryan and Matt.

“They just seem to dig in when they need to dig in,” Hunter said of the Rupert’s. “They’re good two-way hockey players that play a gritty game. Someday, hopefully the scouts are watching them because they’re players you win with.”

The Knights are also killing the IceDogs’ momentum with some timely goals almost immediately after Niagara scores. It has certainly taken the wind out of the IceDogs’ sails throughout the series.

Can Mark Visentin steal a victory for the IceDogs?

It would be unfair to place the blame at Visentin’s feet in this series, although his numbers aren’t generous. His goals against average in this series is 2.91 while his save percentage is a paltry .893. His teammates have left him out to dry on many instances, forcing him to make saves on breakaways often after going minutes without seeing a shot.

This trend may continue since the Knights are an opportunistic team and the IceDogs are feeling desperate now down 3-1 in the series.

“There’s no quit on this team,” Williamson said. “The desperation’s there and the want is there. We just have to get cleaner with our game. They’re doing a great job of hitting us from the backside with guys coming up the ice and we have to do a better job of cleaning that up.”

If they don’t, Visentin’s night will be busy with quality scoring chances. It’s a lot to ask from him, but he needs to make the difficult, yet important saves to give his team a chance to stay in this series.