The
London Knights are 2016 OHL
Champions following a 1-0
Game 4 victory over the
Niagara IceDogs in St.
Catharines on Wednesday.
Christian Dvorak scored with
3:23 remaining in the first
period with assists to Mitch
Marner and Jacob Graves,
giving the Knights the
ammunition they’d need to
win their fourth J. Ross
Robertson Cup title in
franchise history.
Knights goaltender Tyler
Parsons recorded an 18-save
shutout to earn second star
honours as well as the
adoration of his teammates.
“He was outstanding tonight
and he has been the entire
playoffs,” said Marner. “I
honestly think he’s one of
the best goaltenders in the
upcoming draft. His
athleticism and the way he
works in practice make him
such a tough guy to beat.”
Marner was voted OHL Playoff
MVP and recipient of the
Wayne Gretzky ‘99’ Award
with 44 points including 16
goals and 28 assists in 18
games. His linemates,
Dvorak and Matthew Tkachuk,
were the top three scorers
of the 2016 OHL playoffs.
Marner and Dvorak extended
their respective point
streaks to 16 games in
Wednesday’s win as the
Knights wrapped up the 4-0
series sweep.
London’s 13th straight win
set a new OHL playoff record
as they surpass the
12-straight by the 1988
Windsor Spitfires while also
becoming just the second
team since the introduction
of the conference playoff
format in 1999 to go 16-2,
joining elite company in the
2005 London Knights
championship team.
“I’m proud of these guys,
they aren’t individuals,
they don’t play like
individuals and they care
about each other,” said
Knights head coach Dale
Hunter during championship
celebrations. “It’s a credit
to these guys and the
character they’ve shown to
get here. Championships take
character and these guys all
played for each other.”
London’s two playoff losses
came at the hands of the
Owen Sound Attack in a first
round series they won in six
games before winning four
straight over the Kitchener
Rangers, Erie Otters, and
Niagara IceDogs. For the
Knights, the adversity
marked a turning point in
their playoff quest.
“I think that was a wake up
call,” said Dvorak. “Owen
Sound played us tough and
forced us to look in the
mirror a little bit and we
haven’t lost since.”
The Knights become the first
third seed to win an OHL
title since 2004 when the
Guelph Storm hoisted the J.
Ross Robertson Cup. The
fourth title in franchise
history follows victories in
2005, 2012 and 2013 as they
advance to their fourth
MasterCard Memorial Cup in
the last five years.
Upon receiving the J. Ross
Robertson Cup, Knights
captain Mitch Marner passed
the trophy to Jacob Buch,
London’s fifth round pick in
the 2014 OHL Priority
Selection who committed to
the club in June of 2014.
Buch was diagnosed with
Ewing’s sarcoma shortly
thereafter, a rare form of
bone cancer that affects
mainly children and
adolescents.
The Knights are the first
champion from across the
Canadian Hockey League to
advance to the 2016
MasterCard Memorial Cup and
will open competition
against the host Red Deer
Rebels next Friday May 20.