London Knights captain Denver Barkey scored twice and assisted on two others as the Knights defeated the Niagara IceDogs 9-4 at Canada Life Place on Jan. 3.
Barkey now has 11 points in his last three games and will get big consideration for the Ontario Hockey League Player of the Week.
London defenceman Jared Wooley scored twice and added an assist.
Forward Blake Montgomery scored once and had two assists.
For the second consecutive game on home ice, the Knights scored four first-period goals.
It all started with a beautiful feed from Sam O’Reilly to Denver Barkey for a tap-in on Barkey’s ninth goal of the year, just 4:49 into the game.
Noah Read made it 2-0 as he took a pass from Cam Allen on the left side of the IceDogs zone after Allen came flying across the blue line going end-to-end.
Then goals 35 seconds apart opened things up.
They began with a hand-eye co-ordination exercise as Barkey flipped a pass to Jacob Julien who batted the puck out of the air to Blake Montgomery, who batted the puck out of the air and into the Niagara net for his 13th goal of the season.
Before that goal could be announced, Andoni Fimis sent a high-flip into centre ice that Jared Woolley caught and dropped at the IceDogs blue line. Woolley went into alone and fired a puck behind Owen Flores and London went to their dressing room with a healthy lead.
The Knights only added to that lead with four more goals in the first 6:58 of the second period.
Evan Van Gorp scored his 11th of the year just over one minute in.
That was followed by a carbon copy of a play between Barkey and O’Reilly from New Year’s Eve.
Barkey faked as if he was going to carry the puck behind the net and then dished a backhand pass to O’Reilly in front and O’Reilly had himself a tap-in for his 15th goal of 2024-25.
Logan Hawery ripped a wrist shot into the Niagara net at 2:39 of the middle period after Londoner Charlie Robertson had replaced former Knight Owen Flores in goal.
Barkey’s second of the game on a power play made it 8-0 at 6:58, and then a power play goal by Kevin He of the IceDogs got them on the board at the 15:20 mark.
Woolley’s second of night night put London ahead again by eight before the second period ended.
Former Knight Blake Arrowsmith scored early in the third period for Niagara to make it 9-2.
Max Crete got the third goal of the game for the IceDogs just under three minutes later and then Londoner Ryan Roobroeck finished the scoring on a power play at 11:21 of the third.
The Knights outshot Niagara 25-6 in the second period.
The IceDogs returned the favour and outshot London 26-2 over the final 20 minutes.
The teams ended the game with 42 shots on goal apiece.
The Knights went 1-for-2 on the power play.
Niagara was 2-for-4.
2024 was an elite-level year for the London Knights
Count up the wins that the London Knights recorded in the calendar year of 2024 and you will be counting for awhile. It’s easier to add up the regulation losses. They fit nicely inside a box usually reserved for donuts. London posted just 12 regulation losses in 12 months and overall went 75-12-1-2.
Up next
The Knights will meet the Windsor Spitfires on Friday, January 10 on OHL trade deadline day.
The game will mark the third of six meetings between the teams who currently sit 1-2 in the overall OHL standings.
London won the first matchup on home ice 4-2 and then the Spitfires turned the tables 24 hours later with a 3-2 victory.
Coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. on 980 CFPL, at www.980cfpl.ca and on the iHeart Radio and Radioplayer Canada apps.