4-goal 1st period leads London Knights to Game 1 win in Western Conference Championship
A day after being named OHL Defenceman of the year, Sam Dickinson put up four points as the London Knights knocked off the Kitchener Rangers 5-2 at Canada Life Place on April 25, 2025.
Dickinson had two goals and two assists on the night to lead the way offensively for London.
The Knights lead the best-of-7 series one game to none.
The game wasn't all on the up and up for London as captain Denver Barkey left the game with an apparent leg injury with 3:51 remaining in the third period.
The Knights talked a lot in the week leading up to Game 1 about being ready having not played a game for eight days while Kitchener was playing every second day in their comeback series victory over Windsor.
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The players heeded their own advice as they came flying into the first period.
Landon Sim scored 2:08 into the open period by redirecting a Cam Allen pass past Jackson Parsons and into the Ranger net.
London made it 2-0 just one minute and seven seconds later the 2025 OHL Defenceman of the Year Sam Dickinson bashed home his own rebound for his fifth goal of the playoffs.
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Sam Dickinson and Kasper Halttunen of the London Knights celebrate a goal in Game 1 of the OHL's Western Conference Championship series. Jim Van Horne / 980 CFPL
Less than two minutes after that a delay of game penalty led to a Knights power play and Kasper Halttunen hammered in one of his patented one-timers from the top of the left faceoff circle to give London a 3-0 lead.
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Two big right pad saves from Knights goalie Austin Elliott on Jack Pridham and Luca Romano preserved the lead in the middle portion of the first period, and then with 10.2 seconds remaining, Dickinson did it again as he scored on a shot from the high slot and London took a 4-0 advantage to the dressing room.
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The teams traded goals in the middle period as Blake Montgomery flew down left wing and cut to the net to to give the Knights a 5-0 lead with 4:09 remaining on the clock.
Romano gave Kitchener their first goal of the series less than two minutes later on a pass from Tanner Lam and London led 5-1 through 40 minutes.
Romano's second of the game at 10:24 of the third period made the score 5-2.
Rangers forward Christian Humphries left the game after being hit hard by Halttunen behind the Kitchener net in the first minute of the game and did not return. The play was reviewed by the officials and the check was called legal and no punishment was handed out to Halttunen.
London outshot the Rangers 41-24.
The Knights were 1-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
Sam Dickinson named OHL Defenceman of the Year
Sam Dickinson was named the Ontario Hockey League Defenceman of the Year on April 24 after putting up the best offensive season by a D-man in London Knights history and also leading the entire league in plus-minus.
Dickinson recorded 91 points in the regular season and was a plus-64.
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'It's obviously a huge honour,' said Dickinson. 'I have so many people to thank, from everyone with the London Knights to my teammates to my family.
Dickinson becomes the eighth Knights defender to earn the Max Kaminsky trophy joining Evan Bouchard, Danny Syvret, John Erskine, Bob Halkidis, Rick Green, Rob Ramage and Brad Marsh. Marsh and Ramage were co-winners in 1978.
Up next
London and Kitchener will play Game 2 of the Western Conference Championship on Sunday, Apr. 27 at 4 p.m., at Canada Life Place.
Coverage will begin at 3:30 p.m., on 980 CFPL, at 980cfpl.ca and on the iHeart Radio and Radioplayer Canada apps.
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