London seized control early and never looked back, beating Sudbury 4-2 at Canada Life Place on Feb. 22.
A four-goal blitz in the opening period set the tone. Cohen Bidgood was the catalyst — two goals and an assist — and netminder Seb Gatto stood tall behind him, stopping 26 of 28 shots for his 17th win of the season. London finished the night with a 38-28 edge in shots and a very clean special-teams performance (1-for-3 on the power play, a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill).
How the game tilted
London struck quickly and often in the first. Bidgood opened the scoring, added a second, and later helped set up Braiden Clark for the fourth, Clark’s 14th of the year. Jaxson Cover’s defensive hustle early on also proved pivotal — he disrupted a Sudbury breakout that turned into the power-play chance leading to that sequence.
Sudbury fought back but came up short
The Wolves tried to claw their way back after intermission. At 13:49 of the second, Brayden Bennett redirected a Genc Ula shot to end London’s shutout bid. Then, with 4:21 left in the third, Artem Gonchar wired a shot through traffic from the point to make it 4-2. The late goals stirred momentum, but London tightened its neutral-zone structure, protected rebounds and killed the clock well enough to preserve the two-goal margin.
Standout performances and context
– Cohen Bidgood (London): two goals, an assist — his hot run continues (four goals, three assists over the past three games). His puck pursuit and finishing jump-started the early surge. – Seb Gatto (London): 26 saves, steady positioning and rebound control that kept Sudbury from generating a dangerous second wind. – Brayden Bennett, Genc Ula, Artem Gonchar (Sudbury): delivered the key plays that made the late charge possible, highlighted by Bennett’s redirect and Gonchar’s point blast.
Why it matters
The victory pulls London within three points of Sault Ste. Marie for the fourth spot in the Western Conference. Both teams have 11 regular-season games left, so every point down the stretch matters. Expect tweaks from both clubs as they jockey for playoff positioning.
Roster and organizational notes
– Oliver Bonk (former Knight): briefly recalled to the Flyers, practiced in Philadelphia and was then reassigned to Lehigh Valley. The short recall suggests he’s on the radar for an NHL opportunity. – Landon Sim (former Knight): returned to the Toronto Marlies after a lower-body recovery and a stint in the ECHL with Cincinnati; he’ll be monitored for game readiness as depth for the Marlies.
What’s next
London wraps up a six-game home stand by hosting the Windsor Spitfires on Friday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. Broadcast begins at 6:30 p.m. on 980 CFPL and streams via 980cfpl.ca and the iHeart Radio/Radioplayer Canada apps. Coaches on both sides will almost certainly tinker with lines and minutes as the playoff race tightens.