The London Knights are off to the Western Conference championship.
The team advanced to the final after sweeping the Kitchener Rangers 4-3 in Game 4 of the second-round series on Thursday night. Nearly 7,260 people crowded into the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium to see the game.
Knights forward and Winnipeg Jets prospect Jacob Julien recorded his second straight hat-trick to help London get the win. He is the first OHL player to record two hat-tricks in one playoff series since Barrie’s Justin Scott did it during the 2016 first-round series against Mississauga. Kasper Halttunen also scored a goal and an assist, while Ruslan Gazizov had a pair of assists.
Knights goalie Michael Simpson made 26 saves, while the Ranger's Jackson Parsons stopped 25 shots.
The Knights are currently undefeated in the playoffs. They previously swept the Flint Firebirds in the first-round matchup.
They will now have to wait for the outcome of the Saginaw Spirit-Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds series to see which team they will play in the Western Conference final. That series is currently tied at 2-2. Game 5 of the best-of-seven series will be played Friday night.
