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Few London Knights division titles have been won in such spectacular fashion.

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Few have needed so many hurdles – COVID-19, injuries, suspensions – to overcome.

But there was no celebration or general backlash to put a lock on the OHL’s Midwest crown. Rookie winger Brody Crane forced overtime and the single point needed in the standings with 53.6 seconds left in regulation, but London still lost their sixth in a row – 2-1 to Guelph in a shooting before 8,598 Sunday at Budweiser Gardens.

“It’s something to cross off the list,” said the 17-year-old from neighboring Union, “but we haven’t won here for a while so that’s the most important thing now.”

The Knights have won 11 division titles over the past 18 years. No one else in the Midwest has won more than three in that span.

Now they own the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, regardless of how many points Flint and Sault Ste. Marie built up in the final week of the regular season. It’s not certain yet, but London will likely face rival Kitchener in the first round of the playoffs.

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That’s nothing new for Knights forward Camaryn Baber. The former Saginaw captain played for three division titles in his OHL career.

“Getting it down was a battle,” he said. “We have a lot of guys out, surgeries, minor adjustments and some are just broken. We struggle and work hard. We have to find the way to victory but we know the group we have. We’re looking forward to the playoffs because we know how we have to play to win. »

The belief is that they have temporarily misplaced this formula.

The half-dozen defeats mark London’s longest slip since losing eight outright in the 2017-18 season. That year, they recovered to finish in the top half of the conference but were swept by Owen Sound in the first round.

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The Knights are in better shape – thanks in part to their crazy 9-0 start to the season – and will once again become real contenders if goaltender Brett Brochu is back in net for the playoffs after a month-long absence due to injury. an ankle injury.

“He’s our MVP, so it’s exciting to see him around the rink,” Baber said. “We are very positive about everything this way. That said, Owen (Flores) is fighting hard in net and the last guy we worry about. He kicks every night and we want him to win here and help him.

Despite Flores’ efforts, his Guelph counterpart, Owen Bennett, was on his way to a second Bud Gardens shutout this season until Crane’s late heroics. It was the hometown product’s second goal in their last 21 games. He was tapped on veteran center Sean McGurn with Flores on the bench for an extra forward due to a strong grinding outing in the corner and creating a few scoring chances.

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“It was a situation that I haven’t been in often this year,” Crane said, “and I just went in there with an open mind to try and do it. Cody (Morgan) hit it once and I was in the right place. It was the best feeling for a long time.

Dale Hunter isn’t one of the most successful junior hockey coaches of all time. He played a hunch to get Crane out in the last minute.

“It’s a great feeling on the Dale bench,” Rob Simpson said. “When you train for as long as he has, you follow your instincts and no matter what happens you will look back and be glad you did. He shows it time and time again.

The Knights, however, fell to 4-2 in the shootout, with both losses coming in Guelph. The Storm’s only two wins in the breakaway contest this year have come against London.

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Ruslan Gazizov beat Bennett, but Antonio Stranges was stopped and Crane hit the goal post. Guelph scored on both of his attempts.

London captain Luke Evangelista, the OHL’s top scorer, was unavailable because he was sent off shortly after the start of a spirited overtime session for slamming his stick against the penalty box window after a dubious call.

“I think it’s a tough decision to throw him out of the game there,” Simpson said. “This stuff happens all the time. You can dump everyone all the time. It’s hard for me to say, though, because I wasn’t on the ice.

AROUND THE ICE RINK: Liam Gilmartin served the first of a two-game suspension for going over the OHL’s fight limit this season. He had his fourth fight on Friday against Owen Sound. . . The Knights were down to 10 forwards early after Max McCue was given a game misconduct for removing Guelph defenseman Cameron Supryka’s helmet during a fight. The punches were unleashed by Supryka hitting Baber from behind into the boards at the back of the Storm net. . . Bryce Montgomery played both forward and defense in this one to fill the deficit on the wing. . . The Knights went 0 for 5 with the man advantage, including a 5-for-3 long chance. But small wins – they didn’t concede a shorthanded goal this time. Flores must have been sharp on a break from Cooper Walker. . . The Knights have the opportunity to start resting some regulars in their last three games. They have already done so in some cases. D-man Ethan MacKinnon, for example, sat out Sunday with a minor injury. “If it was the playoffs, he probably would have played,” Simpson said. The big problem is that the Junior B teams are in the middle of their first round, so there aren’t many healthy bodies to draw on at the moment. The suspensions don’t help matters either. . . Guelph have won seven of 11 meetings with London this season. A few losing slips cost them a run for the division title. They were on the Knights mid-season. Now they are battling for fifth place with Owen Sound.

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Storm 2, Knights 1

(Guelph wins shootout 2-1)

Guelph goal: Brayden Guy

London goal: Brody Crane

Next: The Knights take on potential first-round opponent Kitchener Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Budweiser Gardens.

Sunday

At Budweiser Gardens

Storm 2, Knights 1

(Guelph won the shootout 2-1).

First period

1., Guelph, Guy 25 (Chayka, Poitras) 4:50 (pp)

Penalties – McGurn, Ldn (high sticking) 3:27, Supryka, Gue (hook) 5:31, Bowman, Gue (cut), Supryka, Gue (fighting), McCue, Ldn (fighting instigator, game misconduct – removing opponent helmet) 9:18.

Second period

No score.

Penalties – Supryka, Gue (cut) 4:41, Gazizov, Ldn (cut) 12:39, George, Ldn (stick high) 14:52.

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Third period

2. London, Crane 8 (Stranges, Morgan) 19:06

Penalties – Supryka, Gue (high sticking) 9:38, Keane, Ldn (stumble) 15:17, Buchinger, Gue (interference) 15:44.

Over time

No score.

Penalties – Evangelista, Ldn (hook) 0:33, Pastujov, Gue (trip) 0:58.

Shooting

Guelph: Bowman scored. Zhugin scored.

London: Stranges missed. Gazizov scored. Crane missed.

Shots on goal from

Guelph 12 3 7 3-25

London 11 10 8 5–34

Goal: Bennett, Gue (W, 18-20). Flores, Ldn (L, 4-11).

Power plays (goal chances): Gue 1-5. Ldn 0-5.

Referees – Mike Hamilton, Anthony Tapper. Linesmen – Blake Beer, Nick Arcan.

Att – 8,598.

Stars – 1. Owen Bennett, Storm; 2. Brody Crane, Knights; 3. Valentin Zhugin, Tempest.