During the OHL final on Monday, the London Knights faced a tough situation. The Oshawa Generals surged ahead with a 4-1 lead midway through the second period, extending it to 6-2 by the end of the frame. London mounted a comeback in the third period, scoring four consecutive goals to force overtime. The winning goal came in the second minute of the second overtime, securing a 3-0 series lead for London. Jackson Edward had a quiet night with no involvement in the scoring, registering only one shot on goal and a minus-2 rating.
Latvia shut out Kazakhstan 2-0 in IIHF Men’s World Championship play on Tuesday, moving to a 1-2-0-0 record and maintaining their unbeaten status (3-2-1-point system). Dans Locmelis made his return to the game after sitting out the initial two matches due to a suspension he got during the World Junior Championships. Locmelis did not register a point during his first game back.
On Wednesday, Latvia lost for the first time at the IIHF Worlds. Germany blew them out of the rink by a score of 8-1. Locmelis did not factor in on Latvia’s lone goal. Former Bruins Kai Wissmann had the winner for Germany.
The London Knights won the J. Ross Robertson Cup by defeating the Oshawa Generals 7-1, sweeping the OHL Finals. They will compete in the Memorial Cup alongside the Moose Jaw (WHL) and Drummondville (QMJHL) Champions, all of whom swept their respective league finals. The Saginaw Spirit (OHL) team will also participate as the tournament hosts. Jackson Edward contributed 3 assists in the game and concluded the OHL playoffs with 2 goals, 9 assists, and a plus-17 rating in 15 games, easily surpassing his regular season performance.
In almost six decades of watching hockey, one of the most unusual moments I’ve seen occurred during the game. A shot was aimed at the London net, and goalie Michael Simpson briefly caught it in his glove. However, the puck slipped out as Oshawa forward Cal Ritchie collided with him. Both Edward and Ritchie attempted to hit the puck, leading to Edward unintentionally shooting it into his team’s net. The Knights challenged the goal due to potential interference with the goaltender, which seemed justified. Nevertheless, the goal was allowed to stand, raising the question of how to overturn a goal that was essentially an own goal.
On Friday, the Dubuque Fighting Saints secured a 3-1 victory over the Fargo Force, keeping their hopes alive in the best-of-five USHL Clark Cup final series, where they currently trail 2-1. Beckett Hendrickson assisted on the opening goal just 11 seconds before the end of the first period. Hendrickson did not register a shot on goal in this game, which is unusual for him. Dubuque dominated the second period, even though both teams scored a goal each. If they can replicate this performance, they have a chance to level the series on Saturday.
Sweden got their revenge on Saturday after being defeated by Latvia at last year’s IIHF World Championships, winning 7-2. Despite Sweden taking an early 2-0 lead, Latvia fought back. Latvia was unable to capitalize on a 5-minute powerplay following Rasmus Dahlin’s ejection for a head hit. Sweden scored 4 goals after successfully defending against the powerplay in the second period, securing the victory. Dans Locmelis, who centered Latvia’s third line, did not contribute to their scoring efforts.
The USHL playoffs concluded on Saturday with Fargo triumphing over Dubuque 3-1 to secure its second Clark Cup Championship. Fargo achieved a record-breaking regular season with a 50-10-2 standing and clinched the series 3-1. Dubuque initially gained a 1-0 advantage just 6:56 into the game, which Fargo swiftly equalized 4:08 later. The winning goal came just 5 minutes after the tying score. Despite being scoreless in the final game, Beckett Hendrickson accumulated 3 goals and 4 assists in 11 playoff games.
Dans Locmelis made history on Sunday by scoring two goals in the shootout, tying an IIHF Men’s World Championship record and leading Latvia to a 3-2 win against Slovakia. However, the victory did not secure a playoff spot for Latvia. In order to advance, Latvia must defeat the United States in regulation and hope that Slovakia loses Sweden in regulation on Tuesday.
Jackson Edward and his teammate Isaiah George (New York Islanders) were honored by the London Knights with the Heart Trophy, given to the player who consistently shows heart on the ice. Edward now joins Alec Regula (2019-2020), another Bruins prospect, as a recipient of this award.
Coming up this week:
The Memorial Cup schedule has been released. The tournament will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and the NHL Network in the United States. If you are a CHL-TV subscriber, it will be streamed free of charge in it’s entirety. You can find the complete schedule here.
In the upcoming weeks, we will conduct a series of offseason evaluations on prospects, culminating in a prospects ranking. Additionally, we will address your prospect-related inquiries here. To submit a question, kindly utilize the contact form.
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Dom - Hockey 