A pair of goals down the stretch was the difference in the London Knights' 3-1 win over the Otters Sunday afternoon in Erie.
With their third straight win, the Knights have clinched their first OHL Midwest Division title in six years. They continue to coast atop the OHL Western Conference standings with 95 points. The Otters continue to fight for a playoff spot and remain two points behind the eighth-seeded Windsor Spitfires.
It was a defensive battle for much of the contest. London scored the only goal of the first period, with Adam Boqvist's 19th of the year. The Knights led Erie 12-7 in first-period shots on goal.
Shots went ten apiece in the second period, during which the Otters tied the game on a goal from Petr Cajka.
Antonio Stranges scored what turned out to be the game-winner for London at 7:50 of the third period. Erie goaltender Cole Ceci was pulled late in regulation for the extra attacker, and Alec Regula capitalized with a power-play goal to drive the final nail in.
Jordan Kooy stopped all but one of the 27 shots he saw coming at him in the Knights' goal. Ceci had 34 saves for Erie.
The Knights return to Budweiser Gardens on Friday night when they host the Flint Firebirds.
