London advanced to the Western Conference Final after beating Kitchener 4-3 in game 4
A do-or-die game for the hometown team. Kitchener looked to avoid a sweep from the hands of their rivals. They got some help with the announcement of Knights forward Kaleb Lawrence getting suspended five games for his hit to the head of Rangers defenseman Simon Motew.
London got 2024 NHL Draft prospect Sam O'Reilly back after serving his two-game suspension for his hit on Kitchener defenseman Olivier Savard in game one.
Andrew MacNiel, a 2023 fourth-rounder by Kitchener, made his OHL Playoffs debut in the absence of Motew. MacNiel played five games for the Rangers in the regular season but played out his year in the GOJHL for the Fort Erie Meteors.
Winnipeg Jets prospect Jacob Julien scored a hat trick to help propel London over Kitchener in game three, and it didn't take him long in this one to get back on the scoresheet scoring 39 seconds in.
So nice he had to do it twice, Julien scored two more in the second period for back-to-back hat tricks. After being held without a goal in his first five playoff games, he has seven in his last three.
London drafted Julien in the third round of the U18 Draft in 2021. The Ontario Hockey League held their 2024 U18 Priority Selection Draft on Wednesday.
Trent Swick scored his fourth and fifth of the playoffs to bring his team within one, but London's three-goal second period proved enough to finish off Kitchener's season, winning game four by a score of 4-3 and sweeping their rivals in the second round.
The Knights have made it to the Western Conference Finals for the seventh time in the last 11 seasons. This also marks back-to-back years that Kitchener has lost to London in the playoffs. They will take on the winners of Saginaw versus Soo.
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