Everyone?s been patting Max Domi on the back for spurring the comeback win Thursday night against Oshawa.
Bo Horvat has received a ton of plaudits for forcing overtime against the Generals with 22 seconds left.
But the biggest compliment, at least in the high-profile forwards? minds, was simply the faith London Knights head coach Dale Hunter showed in putting them out there when the game was on the line.
?It was unbelievable for me,? Horvat, the 17-year-old Rodney native, said. ?Every kid wants to be out there to be that guy and fortunately, I got the chance and it happened for me.
?I like to get that opportunity at the end. That?s what you play for.?
Everyone quests after crunch time duty.
Domi and Horvat, no ordinary sophomores, are getting the same opportunity Sam Gagner and Pat Kane, extraordinary rookies, did in their lone season with the Knights in 2006-07 when they were basically the same age as these two.
Kane and Gagner had the ability to thrill right out of the gate.
Nothing has prepared Domi and Horvat for centre stage better than the run to the Memorial Cup last spring in Shawinigan.
When you?ve been through good minutes in big games and remember what it?s like, the game slows down just that extra split second.
?I was a little bit shocked but when you get the puck, you?ve got to make a decision as quickly as you can,? Horvat said. ?You don?t have a lot of time and fortunately, I made the right one to hold onto it for a bit and shoot when I could.?
The goal was nice. It was likely his biggest as a Knight and helped keep a six-game win streak alive heading into Friday night?s battle of the titans with Owen Sound at Budweiser Gardens.
The opportunity, though, was sublime.
Hunter won?t soon forget the success he had and not hesitate to put him out again in similar dire circumstances.
A character win, of course, but the real measure is in how the Knights chose to respond to it.
?Of course, we were all pretty excited but we have three games this weekend,? Horvat said. ?We?ve got to be ready for the next game. We?ve got a mature group here and I think we?ll be just fine.?
It wouldn?t have meant as much if they didn?t follow up against the Attack, who they owned last season, or Kitchener on Sunday at the Aud ? one of the most difficult places in junior hockey to win.
There is one thing noticeable about the Knights in recent weeks. They are presenting a more physical, in-your-face brand of puck.
Josh Anderson has been the inspirational ringleader.
?I?m just trying to use my size, try to be that power forward I want to be,? the Columbus prospect said. ?Scoring will come along when I bring that physical game. I feel like I get more chances when I?m hitting and the goals will come from that.?
Anderson hammered Oshawa veteran defenceman Matt Petgrave, who fractured his wrist and is out for the next two months.
?I didn?t know he was hurt right away, but I saw him in our training room after, and I felt real bad but it?s part of the game. I just hope all the best for him.?
Hockey is about creating space ? not necessarily knocking guys out of the lineup ? and Anderson has done it effectively.
?You want to have that edge, you want to know every time you step on the ice, guys are going to be scared of you,? Anderson said. ?It opens up extra space for you on the ice and have better scoring chances.?
He went through a recent stretch where he dropped the gloves three times in little more than a week.
?The first one against Belleville, I didn?t really fight in a long time (since preseason),? Anderson said. ? It was to get the guys going, It was an energy thing. The Sudbury one, I had to stick up for myself after taking a big hit in the first period and (last) Saturday against big Tom Wilson in Plymouth, I had to stick up for (Scott Harrington), who was hit from behind.?
ryan.pyette@sunmedia.ca
Source: http://www.lfpress.com/2012/11/16/london-knights-appreciate-the-faith-coach-dale-hunter-has-shown
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