OHL FINALS: Homegrown goalie stumps London Knights in Game 2

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The London Knights’ perfect home playoff record was ruined by a native son.

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Peterborough goaltender Michael Simpson, who grew up rooting for the green-and-gold, made 51 saves, including 22 in the pivotal third period, to help the Petes roar back to a 5-3, Game 2 win and a satisfying split in the OHL final before 9,046 Saturday night at Budweiser Gardens.

“Game 1, you saw the jitters,” the 19-year-old Jr. Knights grad said. “I only played in this building once (in the OHL) in December. (Growing up) you’re always cheering for the Knights and the crowd’s always with you. When you come here and start to hear your name chanted after goals go in and stuff, it can kind of rattle you a bit.

“But being around this rink so much, there’s a comfort zone there for me.”

Simpson surrendered a second-period tying goal on a Sean McGurn dump-in from just inside centre ice. The Knights pulled ahead on the power play after Petes top centre Owen Beck was ejected for a head-checking major on Denver Barkey, but that was all they could muster.

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A Donovan McCoy squeaker from the point, a Tucker Robertson breakaway and Avery Hayes’ well-placed shot upstairs dropped London to 9-1 at home in the post-season. They failed to build a 2-0 cushion for a fourth consecutive series and will be forced to win at least once at the Peterborough Memorial Centre to earn a championship.

“Their goalie played well,” London coach Dale Hunter said. “He’s a good goalie and had a good game. We had a lot of looks but sometimes, the goalie gets hot. The game before, (Knights stopper Zach) Bowen had a shutout and he played well.”

Coach Rob Wilson called this one of Peterborough’s gutsiest third periods of the season.

“We had a real serious talk between the second and third,” he said. “I thought we should have done better but they really came out (after intermission) and this is why we’re in the position we are right now playing in the final against a great team.”

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Simpson managed to shrug off McGurn’s long-distance shot and make sure it wasn’t a deciding factor.

“I don’t think you ever want to let in a goal like that,” Simpson said. “You can either rise up to it or crumble. I thought I did a good job of bouncing back. It’s easy to stay in the zone when you’re facing shot after shot.”

BECK CONTROVERSY: At first glance, Dale Hunter and Wilson were at odds when it came to Beck’s hit on Barkey. The Knights coach thought referees Sean Reid and Joe Monette called it right and that it would be reviewed by the OHL office.

“It’s a head shot,” Hunter said. “It happens in every league, the NHL and stuff, and the league always deals with it. The two referees had the video. They’re the ones who called the five-minute major for hitting in the head.”

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Wilson admitted he hadn’t much of a chance to go through the video, but didn’t feel like the Montreal Canadiens prospect approached Barkey with intent to injure.

“I think he’s just going to make a hit,” the Petes coach said, “so I’ll have a better idea once I look at it. He’s not a dirty player. That’s not something that happens with him. I think it was a good hit, but again, the refs looked at it differently than I did.”

Logan Mailloux put the Knights ahead on that five-minute major, but Peterborough came out of it feeling good at limiting the damage.

“When you go into the third only down one, you have a chance to win,” Wilson said. “London is very good at not allowing you very much, especially when they have the lead. For us to go down two or three would have been an extremely difficult task.”

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But now, they are in the best shape of any team that has faced the Knights so far.

“You only get so many chances in playoffs so we have to bear down when we get them,” London centre Ryan Winterton said. “We’re not in our barn (for Games 3 and 4). It’s going to be gritty but we’re ready for it.”

AROUND THE RINK: Winterton tied North Bay’s Ty Nelson for the OHL lead with his 25th point in the playoffs. McGurn is two back . . . Winterton and Mailloux were credited with 10 shots apiece. “We’re getting traffic, second chances, but it doesn’t matter much if you don’t put it in,” Mailloux said. “We’ve got to execute. (Simpson) just finds a way to stop pucks. We have to score more than that and we’ve got to get it done.” . . . London fell to 11-1 in the playoffs when leading after two periods . . . Referee Sean Reid rescinded an Oliver Bonk double-minor for high-sticking Brennan Othmann late in the first after going to the tablet for a review. “(Reid) said the stick just hit his chest,” Wilson said. “I thought it hit his chest and rode up. They looked at it and that’s what they found so I was fine (with it).” . . . The Knights fans jeered at Reid after Chase Lefebvre appeared to pull down McGurn on a shorthanded breakaway in the second with no call. McGurn complained and his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty put London down two men. Hayes quickly scored his first of two goals, but later took a needless penalty bumping into a celebrating McGurn after his long shot. Both teams had problems with composure in the second. “We have to stay disciplined, cool and collected,” Mailloux said. “Every time we take a penalty, we give them a chance to win the game. It’s something we have to limit.” . . . Sam O’Reilly made his OHL playoff debut for London with Jacob Julien nursing an illness . . .Peterborough captain Shawn Spearing returned for Game 2 warmup after suffering a broken jaw in Game 7 of the Eastern final in North Bay Monday. . . . The Petes will also get another veteran defender, Cam Gauvreau, back for Game 3 Monday after serving a four-game suspension for checking from behind.

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(Best-of-seven championship series tied 1-1)

Peterborough goals: Tucker Robertson (2), Avery Hayes (2), Donovan McCoy

London goals: Sam Dickinson, Sean McGurn, Logan Mailloux

Next: Game 3 is Monday, 7 p.m. at Peterborough Memorial Centre.

Saturday

At Budweiser Gardens

Petes 5, Knights 3

First period

1., Peterborough, Robertson 6 (Othmann) 7:55

Penalties – Humphrey, Ldn (high-sticking) 4:02, Hayes, Pbo (cross-checking) 7:55.

Second period

Penalties – Cowan, Ldn (roughing) 9:42, McGurn, Ldn (unsportsmanlike conduct) 10:25, Hayes, Pbo (roughing double minor), McGurn, Ldn (roughing) 12:38, Beck, Pbo (checking to the head major, game misconduct) 13:23.

Third period

Penalties – Lockhart, Pbo (slashing) 4:12, Avon, Pbo (checking to the head) 11:42, Lefebvre, Pbo (diving), Bonk, Ldn (holding) 14:46, Cowan, Ldn (10-minute misconduct) 19:49.

Shots on goal by

Peterborough 7 12 8–27

London 14 18 22–54

Power plays: Pbo 1-3. Ldn 1-6.

Goalies: Simpson, Pbo (W, 13-6). Bowen (L, 4-3).

Referees – Joe Monette, Sean Reid. Linesmen – Adam Harris, Justin Noble.

Attendance – 9,036 (9,036).

Three stars: 1. Michael Simpson, Petes; 2. Tucker Robertson, Petes; 3. Avery Hayes, Petes.

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