In the Ontario Hockey League match held on March 1, the IceDogs of Niagara outplayed the London Knights, registering an impressive 6-4 victory at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario. The star of the game was undoubtedly IceDogs’ goalie, Hayden Jeffrey, who achieved an outstanding 41 saves, marking his first win in the OHL. Kevin He, another IceDogs’ key player, contributed significantly to the victory by scoring a hat trick.
Despite being only his third OHL start due to injuries of prior Knight player Owen Flores and Charlie Robertson of London, Jeffrey managed to shine bright. He made a stellar start, pulling off five saves within the first five minutes, and continued his streak from there. Kevin He, on the other hand, reached a milestone of 30 goals with his second score and ensured the win with an empty-netter just a little over a minute before the match ended.
The victory brought an end to a 12-match winless run for the IceDogs, their last win dating back to January 26. The match began with Evan Van Gorp setting up Denver Barkey to score the opening goal for the Knights. However, both players had to sit out for the rest of the period due to injuries.
The IceDogs quickly bounced back, with Kevin He leveling the score 1-1 just 36 seconds after Barkey’s goal. The first period ended on a high for the Knights as Sam Dickinson scored a goal, giving them a one-goal lead. However, the second half of the game saw a shift in momentum in favor of the IceDogs.
In the second period, Kevin He and Ryan Roobroeck scored back-to-back goals, giving the IceDogs a 3-2 lead. Ethan Czata further widened the gap with a breakaway goal early in the third period. Despite Kasper Halttunen’s attempt to close the gap, Ivan Galiyanov scored another goal for the IceDogs, taking the score to 5-3. Sam O’Reilly managed to score one more for the Knights, but it wasn’t enough to equalize, resulting in a 6-4 victory for the IceDogs.
In other news, Knights forward Evan Van Gorp has committed to the University of Maine after the NCAA agreed to a rule change allowing players with Major Junior experience to play NCAA hockey. Looking ahead, the Knights are set to return to the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa, Ontario, where they previously clinched the 2024 Ontario Hockey League Championship.
