Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos

After storming out to a commanding series lead with three straight victories—two of which required overtime heroics—the Soo Greyhounds returned home on Wednesday, April 1st looking to close out their Western Conference Quarter-Final matchup against the London Knights. However, despite an early spark at the Memorial Gardens in Sault Ste. Marie, the Greyhounds were unable to complete the sweep, falling 4-1 as the Knights clawed their way back into the series.

The Greyhounds came out with energy in the opening frame and were rewarded just under seven minutes in. Quinn McKenzie opened the scoring at 6:55, notching his first goal of the postseason on the Greyhounds’ sixth shot of the game. McKenzie capitalized on a strong offensive sequence, with Jordan Charron and Blake Arrowsmith picking up the assists to give the home side a 1-0 advantage after twenty minutes.

Momentum shifted in the second period as the Knights found their stride. Just after a penalty expired, Jacob Vandeven tied the game at 1-1 at 6:51, finishing a setup from William Nicholl. London continued to press and took the lead on the powerplay at 13:41, when Ryan Brown buried his first of the postseason off a feed from Nicholl and Henry Brzustewicz. The Knights struck again quickly at 14:58, with Brown scoring his second of the game—assisted by Caleb Mitchell—to extend the lead to 3-1.

With the Greyhounds pushing to get back into the contest late, the Knights sealed the victory at 16:57 as Ryan Brown completed the hat trick with an empty net goal, assisted by Evan Van Gorp, securing a 4-1 final and breathing life into London’s postseason hopes.

Despite the loss, the Greyhounds maintain a 3-1 series lead and will look to regroup as the series shifts back to London for Game Five on Friday, April 3rd. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., where the Greyhounds will aim to close out the series and advance to the next round.