Recapping what was an action-packed Saturday in the OHL Playoffs
The London Knights and North Bay Battalion won their respective games by a score of 5-1 to take a 2-0 series lead. The Soo Greyhounds snatched a game back against the Saginaw Spirit off the backs of a Jordan D'Intino hat trick.
Kaleb Lawrence got the ball rolling early for the Knights scoring 40 seconds in after Jackson Edwards's point shot took a deflection right to his tape. Seattle Kraken prospect Carson Rehkopf got on the board with his fifth of the playoffs, but that would be Kitchener's only goal of the game.
Lawrence continues to be a major factor for London, collecting another two points, bringing him to five goals and eight points in the playoffs. San Jose Sharks top prospect Kasper Halttunen had a goal and two assists, which included a beautiful backdoor feed to Henry Brzustewicz.
Easton Cowan extended his point streak to 42 games. His last game without a point came back on Nov. 24 in Sudbury.
Jackson Parsons struggled in the crease for the Rangers, allowing five goals on 25 shots. Kitchener also struggled on the man-advantage going 0/6 and are now 0/10 in the series.
Up north, just like in the London versus Kitchener game, North Bay scored 24 seconds in, sending the home crowd in a blaze. The Battalion cruised past Sudbury with a stellar performance in net by Mike McIvor who made 35 saves. McIvor has been a storyline for the Battalion in the playoffs.
The rookie netminder had a 3.78 goals-against-average and a .876 save percentage in 18 regular season games. So far in the playoffs, he's 5-1 with a 2.27 goals-against-average and a .916 save percentage. Dallas Stars prospect Justin Ertel had another goal and an assist and now has six points in his last three games.
Sudbury scored late in the third, but the game was already well out of reach for them. Their top players Musty, Dvorský, and Goyette combined for 13 shots, no points, and a minus-7.
Game two between the Soo Greyhounds and Saginaw Spirit had lots of action. Greyhounds captain Bryce McConnell-Barker received a game misconduct halfway through the second period after colliding with Spirit netminder Andrew Oke behind the net.
McConnell-Barker chased after a dump-in and appeared to try and squeeze his way past Oke, but his elbow clipped his head. Oke had to leave the game and their backup Nolan Lalonde had to come in. Andrew Oke has been sensational for Saginaw in the playoffs, leading all goaltenders in goals-against-average (1.83) and save percentage (.938).
The other storyline from this game was Greyhounds overage winger Jordan D'Intino scoring a hat trick, aiding in their 5-2 victory. He was also a plus-4 in the game and is now plus-11 in the playoffs. D'Intino showcased his lethal goal-scorer release on his first and third goals of the game.
Both teams will travel to the Soo for game three on Monday and game four on Wednesday. The status of Oke is unknown and we are waiting to see if McConnell-Barker will face supplemental discipline.