Carson Harmer scored twice against his former club, including the go-ahead goal with 2:33 left, and the London Knights beat the Saginaw Spirit 5-3 on Friday night at Canada Life Place. The Spirit rallied from two goals down in the third period to tie the game twice but fell to 6-8-2-1. London improved to 11-3-1-1.
Braidy Wassilyn, who had 41 points for London last season, started Saginaw’s comeback with a goal in his first game back in London. Nikita Klepov, back with the Spirit after four games with the Anaheim Ducks, assisted on it in his season debut.
How it happened
After a scoreless first period, London scored twice in the second. Evan Van Gorp opened the scoring at 5:55 when a broken play deflected in off Saginaw’s Dmitry Savin, and Ryan Brown made it 2-0 on the power play at 9:35.
Wassilyn cut the lead in half early in the third, with Klepov and Levi Harper assisting. Sawyer Schmidt tied it at 7:08 with his second goal of the season, set up by Hudson Leenders and Gordei Khotkov. Harmer put London back in front with a tip-in, but Jacob Cloutier answered on a power-play deflection from Dima Zhilkin and Wassilyn to make it 3-3.
Harmer scored again at 17:27, from Jaxon Cover and Juho Piiparinen, and Cohen Bidgood sealed it with an empty-net goal at 18:38.
By the numbers
London outshot Saginaw 31-29. Brady Knowling made 26 saves on 30 shots for the Spirit, and Brian Cooke stopped 26 of 29 for London. Saginaw went 1-for-1 on the power play and London 1-for-2. Wassilyn and Zhilkin entered the night tied for the OHL scoring lead with 25 points each, and both added to their totals.
What’s next
The Spirit play two at home this weekend at the Dow Event Center: Saturday against the Erie Otters at 7:05 p.m. and Sunday against the Brampton Steelheads at 5:30 p.m.
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