KITCHENER – Move over, Mario.
Easton Cowan’s OHL regular-season point streak survived the Knights’ sloppy 5-2 loss to the Kitchener Rangers before 6,760 Tuesday at the Memorial Auditorium. The London star picked up a second-period assist on a Landon Sim goal to match Mario Lemieux’s Canadian Hockey League record 61-game run during the 1983-84 Quebec league campaign with the Laval Voisins.
“It’s cool, but we would have rather won,” the Maple Leafs first-rounder said of the rare defeat. “I know I could’ve done better and as a team, we can all do better.”
Cowan’s streak, of course, remains unofficial since it has happened over two years and the CHL and OHL record books only recognize single-season feats. But you’re doing something extremely rare if you’re being mentioned in the same breath as the magnificent Lemieux.
“He played a long time ago but I’ve heard a lot of good things,” said Cowan, who was a baby when Mario retired. “He could put the puck in the net and make plays. Obviously, he was an elite hockey player.”
The Knights forward complained about the quality of the Aud ice during London’s last visit Nov. 19 and he didn’t see any improvement. That hurts a highly skilled team that loves to move the puck around quickly.
“Both teams have to play on it,” Cowan said. “It sucks. It’s not fun. We’ve got to be better all around and we know that. We’re going to move on to practice (Wednesday) and have to be better.”
QUICK FIXES: London is in the middle of its busiest week of the season, so there will have to be quick corrections before the northern swing starting Thursday in North Bay.
The Knights committed some terrible turnovers that led to a lot of Kitchener chances. The hard-charging Rangers scored twice shorthanded and could have had more if not for some big stops by rookie goalie Aleksei Medvedev.
“We have to get pucks behind (the defence),” Cowan said. “We’ll do our thing. We have a lot of skill on this team so as soon as we get the puck, we’ll be good. But we’ve got to get it past their D first.”
This was London’s first regulation loss of the new year, a streak that dates back to a 3-2 defeat at Windsor Dec. 14. The Knights roared back from a 2-0 deficit but never could pull in front against the Blueshirts.
“It would be easy to blame the ice,” London forward Kasper Halttunen said, “but I feel like we have to take care of the puck better. We weren’t ready for this one. The puck is bouncing everywhere for them, too. We’ve got to clean up those shortie goals, put ourselves back together and get ready for Thursday.”
BRIERE BURN: Philadelphia GM Daniel Briere took issue with Hockey Canada’s use of Londoner Jett Luchanko and Knights defenceman Oliver Bonk, both Flyers first-rounders, at the world junior tournament earlier this month in Ottawa.
“We were disappointed in the role they gave him,” he said of Luchanko in his midseason press conference. “Probably the best skater in the world junior tournament and he barely played.”
The Jr. Knights grad averaged just 12:22 minutes of ice and spent a lot of time killing penalties. Bonk, meanwhile, led all Canadian skaters with 21:50 minutes but Canada had him running the power play and trying to generate offence.
“He had a big role, but they put (him) in positions that is not really what is going to be his strength moving forward, which was really weird to us,” said Briere, who envisions the steady Knight to be a shutdown-style blue-liner.
Bonk, from Ottawa, said he hadn’t spoken at length to anyone in the organization about the world juniors.
“I just talked to our player development guy who said I had a good tournament,” he said. “Nothing to be disappointed about.”
AROUND THE RINK: The Knights bus broke down on the way to Kitchener right around the Putnam weigh scales. The team arrived on a replacement bus about 90 minutes before the scheduled puck drop. “A little bit (of a distraction),” Halttunen said, “but after you get warmed up, there are no excuses. You’ve got to get your mind in the game. It was unfortunate this time, so forget this one, learn from it, watch some video and start hot in the next game.” . . . Kitchener beat London for the first time in three tries and sixth time in 16 meetings at the Aud over the past five seasons . . . Kitchener captain Matthew Andonovski drew the ire of the Knights by giving Medvedev a huge snow shower in the face in the dying minutes. The Ottawa prospect earned four minor penalties in the game, including that one, but London didn’t make him pay for it. “That’s not a good penalty when you have the ‘C’ on your chest,” Halttunen said. “It gave us a chance to get back in the game. That’s not something we’re going to let slide. We’re just going to focus on North Bay right now.” . . . Landon Sim tuned up Kitchener’s Cameron Mercer during his second fight in two games. The Knights overager was sporting a big black eye but it wasn’t from punches. He got hit in the face with a puck in practice. . . . Bonk called having four right-handed shooters on the London blue line a ‘unique situation,’ but more than manageable because of the talent infusion provided by former Guelph d-man Cam Allen. “I’d rather have Cam Allen on my team than some random left-handed D,” he said. “It’s better to be playing with Cam Allen and me playing on the left. I’ll take that any day.” How strong is the 6-foot, 197-pound former Guelph Storm rearguard? “Very,” Bonk said. “He looks like a bull walking around the room. Definitely don’t run into him.”
OHL HOCKEY
Rangers 5, Knights 2
Kitchener goals: Matthew Andonovski, Cameron Mercer, Jack Pridham, Tanner Lam, Trent Swick
London goals: Landon Sim, Blake Montgomery
Next: The Knights are in North Bay Thursday, 7 p.m. at the Memorial Gardens.
Tuesday at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium
Rangers 5, Knights 2
First period
1., Kitchener, Andonovski 4 (Pridham, Swick) 17:38
Penalties – Andonovski, Kit (roughing) 1:49, Allen, Ldn (interference) 3:54.
Second period
2. Kitchener, Mercer 6 (Grisolia) 1:53 (sh)
3. London, Sim 18 (Woolley, Cowan) 12:47
4. London, Montgomery 18 (Julien, Allen) 15:06
5. Kitchener, Pridham 13 (Reid, Humphreys) 17:24 (pp)
Penalties – Andonovski, Kit (high-sticking) 1:40, Brzustewicz, Ldn (slashing) 17:09.
Third period
6. Kitchener, Lam 9 (LaBrash) 2:51
7. Kitchener, Swick 19 (unassisted) 16:31 (sh, en)
Penalties – Sim, Ldn (blindside hit, fighting), Mercer, Kit (fight instigator, 10-minute misconduct) 5:42, Andonovski, Kit (tripping) 13:45, Andonovski, Kit (unsportsmanlike conduct) 15:53, Nurmi, Ldn (slashing) 18:26.
Shots on goal by
Ldn 6 14 10–30
Kit 10 9 11–30
Power plays: Ldn 0-4. Kit 1-3.
Goalies: Medvedev, Ldn (L, 15-6). Parsons, Kit (W, 26-10).
Referees – Ryan Elbers, Jason Faist. Linesmen – Meckenzie Wright, Brett Heaman.
Attendance – 6,760.
Three stars: 1., Jackson Parsons, Rangers; 2. Jack Pridham, Rangers; 3. Blake Montgomery, Knights