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Spitfires Snap Knights’ Winning Streak with Dramatic 8-5 Victory

The Windsor Spitfires delivered a stunning performance on March 16, 2025, notching five goals in a single period to secure an 8-5 victory over the London Knights at the WFCU Centre. This decisive win came at the expense of the Knights, who saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end.

This matchup continued a theme prevalent in the season series, with the home team winning every contest between these two rivals. The teams are set to face each other one last time this season on March 21 at Canada Life Place.

Knights defenseman Sam Dickinson had a notable night, recording two assists that propelled him to tie for the most points in a single season by a London defenseman, reaching 87 points alongside Evan Bouchard and Rick Corriveau. Dickinson’s prolific play included a key assist on Easton Cowan’s opening goal just 3:53 into the game, marking Cowan’s personal point streak at nine games.

After the Knights managed to kill a penalty in the first period, Dickinson provided a lead pass to Will Nicholl, who executed a stunning one-on-one move to get the puck to the Windsor net. Though Spitfires goalie Joey Costanzo was in position to poke it away, Easton Cowan managed to poke it past him, giving London a 1-0 advantage.

Costanzo’s performance drew scrutiny, as coach Greg Walters pulled him briefly for Thorndale native Carter Froggett, who entered the game but did not last long before Costanzo was reinstated.

London extended their lead with another goal less than a minute before the end of the first period. After Rene Van Bommell and Ryder Boulton generated a turnover in the Windsor zone, Logan Hawery scored, sending the Knights into the intermission with a 2-0 lead.

The second period saw Windsor begin to shift momentum, with Jack Nesbitt finding the back of the net at 2:32, capitalizing on a rebound from A.J. Spellacy. This was quickly followed by Landon Sim, who scored his 30th goal of the season at 10:13, putting the Knights ahead 3-1.

However, the Spitfires came roaring back, scoring four goals within a short span to close out the second period. Nesbitt and Luke McNamara both scored in rapid succession, bringing the game to a tie. Windsor then took the lead with Cole Davis’ 20th goal of the season, followed by a power play goal from Liam Greentree, closing the period at 5-3 in favor of the Spitfires.

Despite an early third-period goal from Cowan that brought the Knights back to within one at 5-4, Windsor’s Davis struck again, restoring the two-goal cushion with just under five minutes left in the game. A late match penalty for Greentree after a hit on Dickinson provided London a power play opportunity, leading to Jacob Julien’s goal, closing the gap to 6-5. Nonetheless, empty-net goals by Conor Walton and Noah Morneau sealed the fate of the Knights, ending the game 8-5 in favor of Windsor.

Streaks Continue

Amidst the competition’s intensity, Easton Cowan maintains the longest point streak in the OHL this season, stretching 29 games as part of his impressive 65-game streak dating back to November 25, 2023. Cowan and teammate Landon Sim are currently pushing for ten consecutive games with points, while Denver Barkey is on an eight-game streak but remains sidelined with an upper body injury.

The Knights’ scoring leaders this season highlight Cowan’s remarkable run:

29 – Easton Cowan
15 – Jacob Julien
14 – Blake Montgomery
13 – Sam Dickinson
11 – Kasper Halttunen

Looking Ahead

The Knights next take on the Kitchener Rangers for the final regular-season encounter on Tuesday, March 18, at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, where they hold a 3-1-1 record against Kitchener this season. Fans can tune in at 6:30 p.m. on 980 CFPL, with additional coverage available via the iHeart Radio and Radioplayer Canada apps.

Source
globalnews.ca