In a scene reminiscent of a tush push in football, Cohen Bidgood poked a puck through a pile of bodies and across the Sarnia Sting goal line as the London Knights defeated the Sting 5-4 in overtime on Oct. 11 at Canada Life Place.
The goal also gave the Knights their fourth straight win and their third win in OT in those four games.
The matchup was the first of six meetings in the Battle of the 402 between London and Sarnia.
The Sting cashed in on an early power play as Sarnia forward Ryan Brown flipped a puck in front to Matthew Manza and Manza batted it past former teammate Seb Gatto for a 1-0 Sting.
Manza and Gatto began the 2024-25 season together as members of the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs before Manza elected to join the Sarnia roster.
Gatto joined the Knights this past summer.
London came out firing in the second period and got rewarded at the 5:46 mark, when Jaxon Cover brought a puck into the Sarnia end, backed off the Sarnia defenders and left Wilmott who scored his first of the night and third goal in three games to tie the score 1-1.
That tie lasted 21 seconds.
Ryan Brown of Sarnia carried down the left wing side of the ice on a two-on-one and fired home his second goal of the season and the Sting were back on top by a goal.
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The Knights tied the game on a power play at 9:54 of the second period, when Sam O’Reilly slid a pass to Henry Brzustewicz at the top of the left circle and he one-timed it by Patrick Quinlan in the Sarnia goal for Brzustewicz’s third goal in two nights and a 2-2 score.
Cover backed in the Sting defence on a rush later in the period and then got the puck to O’Reilly who banged in his own rebound at 13:24 to give London their first lead.
Wilmott’s second of the night extended that lead to 4-2 before the end of the second as Wilmott buried a Braiden Clark feed for his fourth goal in three games.
Sarnia scored twice in the first 11:09 of the third period to tie the game as Kase Kamzik tipped in his first OHL goal and the Easton Walos won a faceoff in the Knights zone. He then fought his way to the net where he cashed in his third of the year and the score sat tied 4-4.
London began overtime with a power play and while they did not score on the man advantage, the Knights kept possession of the puck, regrouped and plunged home the winner courtesy of Bidgood.
Wilmott had his second consecutive three point game with two goals and an assist.
O’Reilly had a goal and an assist for a five-point weekend and Cover had two helpers on the night.
The Sting outshot London 36-29.
Both clubs were 1-for-5 on the man advantage.
Barkey and Halttunen make professional debuts
Denver Barkey wound up his major junior career with two goals for the London Knights in the 2025 Memorial Cup final.
Kasper Halttunen will be remembered for all of the goals he scored in London. He had four hat tricks in nine OHL Championship series games.
Halttunen had five shots on goal for the San Jose Barracuda in his AHL debut as they defeated another former Knight, Seth Griffith and the Bakersfield Condors 7-6.
Barkey debuted with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms against the Belleville Senators and had one assist in a 5-2 season opening victory.
Up next
The London Knights and the Kitchener Rangers go head to head in the Ontario Hockey League’s inaugural OHL Rivalry Week.
The league has matched every team with one of its biggest rivals for a home and home series.
The Knights and Rangers will meet on Friday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m., at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium and then go again from Canada Life Place on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 2 p.m.
Coverage will begin on Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m., on 980 CFPL, at 980cfpl.ca and on the iHeart Radio and Radioplayer Canada apps.
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