London Knights captain Denver Barkey recorded a hat trick to lift his team to a series-opening 6-3 victory over the Erie Otters in Game 1 of the Western Conference semi-finals on April 10 at Canada Life Place.
Barkey continues to average three points-per-game in the 2025 OHL playoffs. He now has eight goals and seven assists in five games.
The game itself looked like playoff hockey with very little time or space available.
Goals 34 seconds apart left the teams tied through 20 minutes of play.
Erie overager Pano Fimis open the scoring in the series with a wrist shot on a power play at 18:03 of the opening period.
Right after the puck dropped at centre, the Knights took control in their own zone and London defender Cam Allen went end-to-end and snapped in his second goal of the playoffs to even the score at 1-1.
The 2021 OHL Priority Selection class kicked off the scoring in the second period as Easton Cowan helped to set up goals by both Denver Barkey and then Oliver Bonk to give the Knights a 3-1 lead by the 9:21 mark.
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Cowan had four assists on the night. Sam O’Reilly added a pair.
London went ahead 4-1 on a power play goal by Landon Sim at 16:30 as Kasper Halttunen faked a shot and found Sim standing at the right post for his fourth goal of the post-season.
Just 17 seconds later, Dylan Edwards scored off a faceoff for Erie and only 12 seconds after that Wesley Royston snapped in a goal that cut the Knights lead to 4-3 through 40 minutes.
Barkey banged a rebound past Otters goalie Noah Erliden on a 5-on-3 London power play just 53 seconds into the third period to push the London lead to a pair at 5-3 and then the Knights captain completed the hat trick into an empty Erie net with 58.1 seconds remaining.
Austin Elliott picked up the win in net for the Knights. The overage goaltender is now 40-1 overall on the year from the Saskatoon Blades to the regular season and then the playoffs for London.
The Knights outshot the Otters 36-27.
London was 2-for-6 on the man advantage in Game 1.
Erie went 1-for-3 on the power play.
Noah Read named OHL Rookie of the Week
A first OHL hat trick plus an assist helped London Knights rookie forward Noah Read to be recognized as Ontario Hockey League Rookie of the Week.
Read recorded his three goals in London’s clinching 8-4 victory over the Owen Sound Attack. Read was a 10th-round pick of the Knights in 2023 who came to training camp in 2024 with no guarantees that he would make the team and then worked his way onto the roster.
Read had 10 goals and 26 points in 45 games in 2024-25 and has been ranked #187 by NHL Central Scouting for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.
Up next
Game 2 between London and Erie will take place on Saturday, Apr. 12 at 7 p.m., at Canada Life Place.
Coverage of both games will begin at 6:30 p.m., on 980 CFPL, at 980cfpl.ca and on the iHeart Radio and Radioplayer Canada apps.
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