Played on Apr 28, 2025
Ontario Hockey League
Game Played in Kitchener Memorial Auditorium
General Game Notes: A close game that was decided in the first period with the London Knights scoring two goals to take an early and commanding lead. They were able to secure the next two periods with tight defense and consistent goaltending. With the win, the Knights three to zero series lead.
Cameron Arquette (C, R, 5’8″, 168, Kitchener Rangers, 04/27/2007)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: Arquette was able to give his team the tie for the moment with a nice goal early in the second period. With a bouncing puck landing at his feet, he was able coral the puck and fine space over the goalies shoulder. It was a great goal that needed hand eye coordination and a great bounce. Arquette did a good job at getting lost in space and next thing you know he had the puck on his stick in a ready to shoot position. His smaller size forces him to keep moving and he does this at a quick and effective pace.
Lucas Ellinas (LW, L, 6’2″, 198, Kitchener Rangers, 03/01/2006)
Game Rating
B+
1 Viewing
Comments: Scored a nice goal to tie the game up early in the first period. While in tight at the goalie, Ellinas got the puck on his backhand, and with a between the legs move, he was able to beat the goalie by getting him moving cross crease leaving the net wide open. It was a nice move and an impressive move that could have been goal of the game. Ellinas is at his best when he is playing with the puck with his head up. He does a good job at creating pace through the neutral zone, not afraid to make some riskier moves through players. This plays are a little more calculated than a toe drag up the middle. When he knows he has back side support, Ellinas is more prone to try and make something happen.
Andrew MacNiel (D, R, 6’2″, 198, Kitchener Rangers, 07/25/2007)
Game Rating
B
1 Viewing
Comments: MacBiel was able to show that his value does not come from his offense, and he plays a very stay at home play style. He is a liability as an offensive play driver, but that is okay, because he should not be touching the puck and he is adept at keeping the puck as far away from him, and by extension, his net, as possible. He stands tall, and as a result has a very valuable defensive tool, size. MacNiel is a force to be reckoned with in front of the net, and he is a crease clearer through and through. He is a solid defender in front of the net and protects his goalie against a high volume of scoring threats in the crease. His lack of transitional value thanks to his below average skating limits his overall defensive value but honestly might keep in the a better position because he does not over extend himself.
Austin Elliott (G, L, 6’0″, 175, London Knights, 05/14/2004, UMass Lowell)
Game Rating
A-
Austin Elliott presented himself as a solid goaltender, leveraging his size to protect the net and limit direct shot attempts. However, his limited mobility makes him susceptible to rebounds, emphasizing the importance of strong defensive support. While he allowed only one goal, it was an odd-man rush, indicating potential vulnerability to soft goals. On the positive side, Elliott excelled at tracking shooters and intercepting loose pucks in front of the net.
1 Viewing
Comments: Elliot played a great game tonight and helped his team take a commanding lead in the series. He was able to show tonight that he lacks any major flaw to his game. He does not have elite vision, and he is not always the most composed in the net, but he squares up to pucks well and moves with intent well enough to get side to side effectively. He w will not steal a game but he also will likely not be the reason you lose it and sometimes if you have that type of offense in front of you, what else do you need in a goalie.
Sam Dickinson (D, L, 6’3″, 205, London Knights, 06/07/2006)
Game Rating
A
Sam Dickinson demonstrated a well-rounded skillset on the ice, showcasing his ability to contribute both offensively and defensively. He excelled at finding space in the offensive zone, utilizing his size to create scoring opportunities. His passing accuracy was evident in his goal-scoring ability, particularly from backdoor feeds. Dickinson’s skating skills allowed him to cover a lot of ground, and he effectively utilized them to pressure forecheckers or beat first-layer defenders with his speed. However, there were moments where Dickinson’s energy levels appeared to wane when not carrying the puck, causing him to become overly cautious at times. His lateral mobility along the blue line was particularly impressive, allowing him to create space and evade opponents with ease.
1 Viewing
Comments: Dickinson was able to show tonight that he is an elite skater with fantastic speed, edge work, and acceleration. He is a natural with the puck and he is at his best when he’s joining the rush and facilitating zone entries. He has got a decent point shot that he gets through with impressive and elusive lateral movement along the blue line. His best asset for his offense is his brain, and he is uniquely good at limiting his mistakes despite an aggressive offensive profile. Defensively, Dickinson is not exactly a physical force but he has sound positional awareness and is capable of breaking plays up and getting in the way.
Jacob Julien (C, L, 6’4″, 190, London Knights, 09/12/2004)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: Scored a nice goal on the power play by first making a creative back door pass that ultimately opened up the ice enough for his goal. After the puck went cross crease, it found its way back to him with the goalie in the wrong position, he batted home the bouncing puck that gave his team the lead at the time. Julien does a good job at the net front showing his willingness to battle combined with a creative side that we were able to see on this goal. His size and strength at the top of the crease is hard for smaller defenseman to take care of and he does a good job at taking advantage of that.
Cameron Allen (D, R, 5’11”, 200, London Knights, 01/07/2005)
Game Rating
B+
1 Viewing
Comments: He simply just has some rare tools that are difficult to teach, despite all of his warts. He was able to show tonight that he is a smooth skating defenseman with strong puck moving abilities. He has the potential to be a huge asset in the zone exit and zone entry game where he can use his creativity, so his overall lack of defensive awareness makes him a slight defensive liability, his ability to generate a high volume of zone exits massively helped his defensive value, even if valuing zone exits as very valuable defensive contributions is still a little progressive. He is at his best when moving the puck and creating pace.
Blake Montgomery (LW, L, 6’4″, 181, London Knights, 05/04/2005, Wisconsin)
Game Rating
B
1 Viewing
Comments: Montgomery needs more of an imposing physical presence or some high end offensive tool, instead he just knows where to be on the ice and what to do in every situation. He has such a steadying effect on the game when he plays because his coach knows he can trust him when his skates hit the ice. He will rarely ever make a stupid mistake and will always do the responsible thing with the puck. Yes this limits his overall offensive upside, he will not try an incredibly risky stretch pass to catch his opponents off guard, for example, but that does not mean he still won’t wow you with his puck skills off the rush, which is where he is at his best.
Noah Aboflan (LW, L, 5’11”, 192, London Knights, 05/03/2005)
Game Rating
B-
1 Viewing
Comments: Aboflan was able to show his offense in strides but it was his defense, though, is very strong. He is a smart player with a good defensive stick, and he leverages that strong defensive stick as well as his above average size to be a strong penalty killer and an impact player along the boards. Tonight, he was only able to show that he is not an elite skater and lacks the overall offensive tools to be anything more than a marginal contributor.
Landon Sim (C, L, 5’10”, 190, London Knights, 07/17/2004)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: With two goals on the night, Sim was able to carry a line in which you did not think he would be the one carrying it. Scored his first doing what he does best and got to the front of the net with his teammates looking to make plays on the perimeter. The chaos he caused gave the confidence in his teammate to shoot something at the net, and Sim was able to get a piece of his before it found the back. Sim is at his best playing a physical game and making it hard for opponents to hold on to the puck for a longer period of time. In the offensive zone he works hard at the net front and below the goal line.
Photo credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images