Windsor Spitfires knock off London Knights 4-1 – London
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Ethan Belchetz scored once and added an assist Saturday night as the Windsor Spitfires defeated the London Knights 4-1 in their home opener at the WFCU Centre.
The game marked the first time in 27 years that the Knights had faced Windsor for their home opener.
Beks Makysh got the only goal of the first period. A puck that was fanned on in the London zone slot came to the forward from Kazakhstan. He went to his backhand and deposited a shot in the London net for his third goal in four periods and a 1-0 lead for Windsor.
After being outshot 8-1 in the first period, the Knights came out in the second with three shots on the Spitfires net inside the first minute. The momentum kept going right to the tying goal at the 11:58 mark, when Logan Hawrey, who led London in pre-season scoring, wristed his first goal of the season from the slot on a Knights power play.
Kaeden Hawkins and Ben Wilmott each picked up their first points in the Ontario Hockey League with the assists.
A major penalty to London’s Cohen Bidgood and a puck-over-glass penalty gave the Spitfires a 5-on-3 man advantage, and 2024 first overall pick Ethan Belchetz made good on it by blasting a one-timer past Knights goalie Seb Gatto from the top of the right circle. Windsor took a 2-1 lead.
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Windsor’s Cole Davis scored short-handed at 8:33 of the third period to put the Spitfires ahead 3-1.
There was a lengthy delay after that goal as a pane of glass in behind the London bench shattered, requiring Knights coaches and players to clear the area while it was cleaned up.
The bottom of the pane actually landed on London head coach Dale Hunter.
Fans in behind the glass had to leave their seats, and yellow caution tape was brought out that prevented anyone from entering that row for the rest of the night.
Aside from minor abrasions everyone involved left the arena o.k.
London pulled goaltender Gatto with just under four minutes remaining, but Windsor’s J.C. Lemieux jumped on a loose puck inside his blue line, skated down right wing and scored into an empty net to finish the scoring.
The Spitfires outshot the Knights 27-20.
London was 1-for 2 on the power play.
Windsor was 1-for-3.
Up next
London will play host to the Brampton Steelheads at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26 at Canada Life Place.
Brampton is 1-1 on the season after a loss in Peterborough on the opening night, which was followed by a 4-1 victory at home against the Niagara IceDogs on Sept. 19.
Coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m., on 980 CFPL, at http://www.980cfpl.ca and on the iHeart Radio and Radioplayer Canada apps.
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