London, Oshawa battle for OHL Championship Series lead in Game 3
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The London Knights and Oshawa Generals battle for the Ontario Hockey League Championship Series lead as the series shifts to the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa for Game 3 on Monday.
London evened up the series in Game 2 with a 5-2 victory on Saturday night.
Easton Cowan starred for the Knights, recording two goals and five points after being held pointless for the first time in the playoffs in Game 1. His five points on Saturday gives him 89 career playoff points, which ties him with Robbie Schremp for the most in London Knights history.
Edmonton Oilers prospect Sam O'Reilly and Winnipeg Jets draft pick Jacob Julien each had a goal and an assist while Philadelphia Flyers prospect Oliver Bonk also scored.
Cowan has been a thorn in the Generals' side the last two seasons in the playoffs after he recorded three goals and 15 points during the Knights' four-game sweep of Oshawa to win the 2024 J. Ross Robertson Cup.
The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect was named OHL MVP last season for his efforts and could be well on his way to repeating that accomplishment as he sits second in OHL playoff scoring with 10 goals and 32 points in 14 games.
"That was a massive response by Cowan," TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button said postgame. "He's so quick and so understanding that because he draws so much attention from his opponents, he opens up ice for his teammates."
With London leading 4-2 in the third period, Oshawa had two glorious opportunities to get back into the game when Julien took a hooking penalty halfway through the period followed by defenceman Cam Allen being sent off for roughing less than three minutes later.
The Knights were able to kill off both those penalties, with defencemen Sam Dickinson and Bonk receiving a lot of the credit for putting their bodies on the line.
"You got those guys on the backend who are always blocking shots for us, Dickinson and Bonk especially," Cowan told TSN after the game. "That means the world to us, and it shows the character that they have. They're two first-round picks and they're putting their bodies on the line.
"That's just the type of team we have and we have to keep going."
Goaltender Austin Elliott was strong where he needed to be, making 31 of 33 saves as he picked up his first win of the series.
Oshawa received goals from New York Islanders prospect Calum Ritchie and forward Luke Torrence in the loss.
Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Luca Marrelli assisted on Torrence's goal, which places him as the OHL playoff scoring leader with six goals and 33 points, one point ahead of Cowan.
Netminder Jacob Oster did what he could to keep the Generals in the game, making 25 saves in the loss.
With the series shifting over to Oshawa in Game 3, the Knights are fully expecting the Generals to come out swinging at home as the sting of being out scored 31-9 in last year's four-game loss in the championship series is still fresh in their minds.
"We know they're going to come out hot in their barn on Monday night and we're excited for it," said Cowan. "We just got to weather the storm early."
The CHL on TSN continues on Tuesday with Game 4 between the Knights and Generals at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on TSN3/4, TSN.ca, and the TSN App.