Sam Miletic got a hat trick and Max Jones scored two goals as the London Knights demolished the Niagara IceDogs on the road 8-2 Saturday night.
With the win, the Knights remain in a tight race for the lead in the OHL with the Erie Otters, who won in Sarnia to the Sting Saturday. London has 33 points to Erie's 34.
The Knights got off to a 5-0 start in just the first period alone. Olli Juolevi began the onslaught with a goal at 10:25 in the period. Cliff Pu added a goal just 53 seconds later to give London a two-goal advantage. Miletic scored his two goals back-to-back following that, and within one minute and ten seconds of each other. First was a power-play goal at 14:34, followed by a short-handed score. Max Jones picked up his first goal of the night at exactly two minutes to go in the first frame. Niagara goalie Stephen Dhillon was replaced in goal in the second period by Colton Incze.
The Knights added two goals in the second stanza. Jones got his second score of the night at 2:11 elapsed, and just 12 seconds after that, Owen MacDonald added his contribution to the scoring with his fourth goal of the season.
Niagara finally got on the board at just 15 seconds into the third period, when Johnny Corneil scored his sixth goal of the season, but London answered back 19 seconds after that when Miletic completed his hat trick for the evening. Oliver Castleman got another score for the IceDogs at just 57 seconds left in regulation
Janne Kuokkanen got three assists for the Knights. Jordan Kooy stopped all except two of Niagara's 32 shots.
London will take on their rivals, the Windsor Spitfires, Sunday evening at Budweiser Gardens.