Brett Brochu made 38 saves and was named the first star of the game as the London Knights capped off 2022 with a 4–1 win over the Sarnia Sting at Budweiser Garden.
George Diakko and Sean McGurn each scored a goal and added an assist. McGurn was named the second star of the game and Diako was named start number three, making it an overage sweep for London.
Seven of Diako’s 16 goals this year have come on scoring debuts. This tied the Knights’ co-captain with Ottawa’s Brad Gardiner for the most in the OHL this season.
With the Knights on a power play in the second period, Easton Cowan and Denver Barkey combined on Barkey’s second goal and fourth point in two games on a power play that spanned the entire width of the ice. Cowan found Barky going into the net and Barky caught Sting goalkeeper Nicolas Sergiusia for his ninth goal of the season.
Later in the second period, Boston Bruins prospect Ryan Mast hit the goal post on the Sarnia man advantage and the puck bounced harmlessly into center. Shortly thereafter, Mast caught one off the same post on a 4-on-3 Sting power play. It hit a chip in front of the London net and then deflected in to halve the Knights’ lead.
However, before the end of the mid-term, McGurn and Diaco went to work again. Diako found McGurn in front for the Ottawa, Ontario native’s 15th goal of the season at the 19:11 mark and the Knights went into their dressing room ahead 3–1.
Ruslan Gazizov got his chance to “Look What I Found” after a Sarnia turnover and Gazizov buried a shot from the slot to make it 4–1 London.
The rest of the third period had a good dose of penalty calls. The teams took a total of 12 penalties but the score remained the same.
The Sting defeated the Knights 39–22.
London will enter 2023 with the best winning percentage in the Western Conference.
The Knights have won 18 of their last 20 games and have won the calendar-ending home-and-away between the teams for the 12th time in 20 years.
London Knights win first round of official ‘Battle of the 402’
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battle of 402
Prior to Friday’s game, the rivalry between the Knights and Sting received an additional injection with the unveiling of the “Battle of the 402”. It is sponsored by Finch Auto Group in London, Ont., and Finch Ford-Lincoln (run by former Knight Mark Guy) in Sarnia, Ontario.
Regular season games between the teams would count and a trophy would bear the name of the winner of the regular season series from year to year. The Saginaw Spirit and Flint Firebirds have been vying for the I-75 Divide Cup since the Firebirds relocated from Plymouth, Michigan in 2015.
round number
Four Knights achieved goal numbers in Friday’s win over the Sting. Team scoring leader Sean McGurn scored 40 points on the year. Denver Barkey’s goal and two assists gave him 30 points.
Easton Cowan scored 20 points with a first period goal and Sam Dickinson’s goal in the opening 20 minutes allowed him to hit double figures with 10 points in his rookie year.
next
The Knights will host the Guelph Storm on Tuesday, January 3 at 7 p.m. at Budweiser Gardens.
Like the Sarnia sting, London hasn’t seen much of a storm so far this season.
The teams played their only game on November 29 at Budweiser Gardens, and the Knights won 6–2.
Five London players (Isaiah George, Easton Cowan, Denver Barkey, George Diakko and Ryan Del Monte) had two-point games.
Coverage begins at 6:30 PM on 980 CFPL http://www.980cfpl.ca and on the Radioplayer Canada app.
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