Hunter Hite of Strathroy, Ontario recorded a hat trick in the assist saginaw spirit stay in the Western Conference Championship Series with 4–2 win over london nights May 3 at Budweiser Gardens.
Rodwin Dionisio had four assists in the game for the Spirit.
Hite opened the scoring in the game when he fired a wrist shot into the London net from the right faceoff circle at 14:56 of the first period, and the Spirit led 1–0 after 20 minutes.
Saginaw started the second period on the man advantage and with six seconds remaining, Josh Bloom grabbed a rebound saved by Michael Simpson to make the score 2–0.
London cut the lead in half at 14:15 of the second period, as Oliver Bonk’s shot from the right point bounced off Nolan Lalonde, Bonk’s fourth goal of the postseason, but Hite’s second goal of the game and eighth of the playoffs gave Saginaw a lead. Two goals were restored. – Goal lead with 2:31 remaining in the middle frame.
The Knights got that goal back just 29 seconds later as Max McCue won the puck race in the Spirit end and got the puck to Sam O’Reilly, who fed Easton Cowan on the left side of the Spirit zone and he fired a shot high. And to bring London back within a goal in the final 20 minutes.
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Cowan had a goal and an assist and was named the game’s third star.
Hite completed his hat trick with a power play blast from the left side of the ice at 5:44 of the third period to complete the scoring.
The final 11:18 of the game were marred by a penalty call, forcing London to hold out until the final buzzer.
The Knights’ Caleb Lawrence was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for cross-checking at 13:24 of the third period for a hit on Matyas Sapovaliev.
London forward Landon Sim was ejected in the second period for a game misconduct after a fight in the spirit zone.
Both plays will be reviewed by the OHL.
Saginaw defeated the Knights 35–28.
The Spirit were 2 of 8 on the power play.
London was 1 for 3.
Easton Cowan wins the Red Tilson Trophy
On May 2, the Knights’ Easton Cowan was named the Ontario Hockey League’s Red Tilson Trophy winner as the league’s most outstanding player.
The winger from Mount Bryges, Ontario recorded at least one point in every game between November 25, 2023 and March 24, 2024, putting together a 36-game point streak and ending the year with the second-best points per game in the league. Totaled 34 goals and 96 points in 54 games in the OHL. He also represented Canada at the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championship in Sweden.
The Red Tilson Trophy is voted on by OHL writers and broadcasters.
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The Knights and Spirit will play Game 6 of the Western Conference Championship Series at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan on Sunday, May 5 at 2 p.m.
Coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. on 980 CFPL www.980cfpl.ca and on the RadioPlayer Canada app.
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