Landon Sim of the London Knights gets in the face of Owen Sound Attack player James Petrovski early in the first game of their first-round OHL playoff series at Budweiser Gardens in London on Friday, March 31, 2023. “It should be unbelievable hockey and people, for sure, should be getting up for it and ready for a battle.” We know Sarnia is going to be the toughest playoff series we’ll have and the winner of this has a really good chance to win the whole thing. We want to make sure the other team is not looking forward to the next shift or next game. “We believe in ourselves,” London forward Landon Sim said. Their own in-house playoff slogan involves the words “hopeful” and “humble.” But they have found a way to put a product on the ice most fan bases would be proud to call their own. They had a tough start to the season, mourned the loss of a teammate at Christmas and struggled down the stretch. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Sting also automatically inherits a mob that can be described charitably as the “anti-London” faction. That base, though, isn’t only the season-ticket holders and local bandwagon jumpers, anymore. They might be praying for a win over the London Knights at Dunlop Central United Church in Sarnia, whose sign is one of several expressing support for the Sting ahead of the OHL third-round playoff series.

“We’re hoping we can give the fans a good show and break the curse.” “To see the support now and the signs in the city that say ‘Go Sting’ everywhere, it gives us something extra to play for. “It’s been one of those things that the fans haven’t been too crazy (in the past) because we haven’t had a ton of success,” fourth-year forward and leading goal-scorer Nolan Burke said. Their arrival on this grand stage after a 29-year wait has a definite Maple Leafs vibe to it. The excitement they have generated in reaching the Western Conference final for the first time is an overdue reward for their long-suffering faithful. They have never enjoyed this much fan support. The Sarnia Sting are the shiny new toy of the OHL playoffs. Manage Print Subscription / Tax Receipt.

A Shiny New Toy by M.J. O'Shea