Aleksei Medvedev’s first real game back in a London Knights sweater looked like the kind of night that can tilt an OHL season fast.
The 19-year-old goalie turned aside 38 shots, Jaxon Cover flashed the finish that made him a top NHL prospect, and London rolled past North Bay 4-1 on Friday night in front of 9,036 at Canada Life Place. The Knights are now 4-0, and with Medvedev settling in and Cover finding his stride, they suddenly look every bit like the powerhouse the rest of the league expected.
Medvedev was sharp, calm and vocal throughout the night, even after a long stretch away from live action. He had backed up a preseason game for Vancouver, but his last actual game before Friday came at the NHL rookie tournament two weeks ago. After losing the starting job to Sebastian Gatto last season, he’s clearly eager to reset the tone.
“I feel like there is so much support from the fans and everyone in the organization,” Medvedev said after the win. “I was really excited to play and at that final buzzer getting those goosebumps. It’s such a great feeling to win in this rink.”
Cover, the Senators first-rounder, said Medvedev’s night gave the team a lift at both ends.
“He meant the world to us,” Cover said. “He kept us in it and seeing him play as confident as he did was great. It’s really a lot of confidence for us at both ends.”
London didn’t fully separate until the third period, but once it did, the game moved quickly. Marcus Nordmark opened the scoring at 6:55 of the second, North Bay answered through Evgeny Dubrovtsev at 8:12, and then the Knights slammed the door in the final frame with goals from Thomas Zocco, Cover and Cohen Bidgood.
Cover’s marker came at 3:07 of the third, while Bidgood’s empty-netter at 19:50 finished it off. Bidgood was credited with the goal after being tripped on the way in, with the puck hitting the post before Carson Harmer banged it home.
For Medvedev, the night was also about settling back into the rhythm of the team and the league. He hasn’t lost the edge in his personality, either. At one point, he sprinted to the blue line after a whistle to thank Cohen Bidgood for a shot block.
“I feel like it’s (from) my third year in this league,” he said. “The calmness comes from the mental side and having my players believing in me.
Helping them out is great. I feel like we have a good group so far and we’re only going to get tighter.
“It’s a pleasure to play for those guys.”
Cover had his own adjustment to make after time away, saying he needed to get back into Dale Hunter’s systems. He did that as the game went along.
“As the game progressed, I showed more of myself out there," he said. “It was nice to get that (third-period goal), but the biggest thing is we won.
We just have to fix the little things. The games to come and more experience together, we’ll find it.”
London’s depth took a hit before the puck even dropped. Defenceman Maksim Sokolovskii is week-to-week with a lower-body injury suffered in practice, while Ryan Brown is day-to-day after a hard fall into the end boards early in the game. Brown was hurt after being knocked over from behind by North Bay defenceman Carter Kunopaski, and no penalty was called.
“He’s one of our top D,” assistant coach Dylan Hunter said of Sokolovskii. "It puts a hole in our system (without) the size, physicality and defensive play. Guys like Cody Wood and Cooper McAslan have been working hard and they can eat up some of those minutes.”
The Knights did get Finnish defenceman Juho Piiparinen into the lineup for the first time. The 18-year-old Vegas first-rounder had been waiting more than a week for his OHL debut because of international transfer paperwork.
“He’s a tank,” assistant coach Rick Steadman said. “He has that Finnish work ethic we’ve seen from guys who have come through here. He’s an awesome presence.”
There were other milestones sprinkled through the night. Nordmark scored his first OHL goal, finishing a smart slot pass from Alex Campeau. Jonathan Kapageridis continued his strong start since arriving from North Bay two weeks ago, adding to the sense that London keeps finding ways to plug pieces in and keep rolling.
“almost like a dream”
Kapageridis has eight points in four games with the Knights, a sharp rise from his first full season with the Battalion. Dale Hunter said the defender showed his value even before the production arrived.
“ He didn’t have the numbers,” London coach Dale Hunter said, “but you could see he was smart with the puck.”
The Knights also continue to carry a ridiculous amount of pro experience for a major junior team, with a major junior-best 30 players starting the season in the National Hockey League and 29 American leaguers, including Seth Griffith, now in his eighth year with Bakersfield. Griffith is in his 13th pro season.
On this night, though, the story belonged to Medvedev, Cover and a team that keeps stacking wins while looking increasingly dangerous. London was held scoreless in the first period for the fourth straight game, but once the goals came, the finish was clinical.
The Knights are one of only three unbeaten teams left in the OHL, along with Brantford and Sudbury, and they’ll be back at it Sunday against Flint at 2 p.m. at Canada Life Place.
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