The Brampton Steelheads showed why the Ontario Hockey League was quick to put them atop its power rankings early on in the 2024-25 season.
The Steelheads stung the London Knights 6-3 on Saturday afternoon at the CAA Centre in Brampton, Ont.
Carson Rehkopf wired home two first-period goals to help the Steelheads to a 3-0 lead through 20 minutes.
The former Kitchener Rangers forward and current Seattle Kraken prospect opened the scoring just 16 seconds into the game as he came into the London end on the left side and lasered a puck over the shoulder of Knights goalie Owen Willmore.
After Porter Martone stole a puck and scored his fourth goal of the year short-handed, Rehkopf struck again, this time from the slot at 16:55 of the first period.
The Steelheads wasted no time striking again early in the second period as the puck bounced off a shot block by Jacob Julien right to former Erie Otter Spencer Sova. He fired the rebound home just 50 seconds after the opening faceoff to make it 4-0 for Brampton.
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Adam Zidlicky increased the Steelheads’ lead to 5-0 with his second of the season at 7:48 of the second period and would add his second of the game before the end of the middle frame.
Before that second Zidlicky goal, London’s Cohen Bidgood scored his first-ever OHL tally as he took the puck to the net on the power play and beat Jack Ivankovic to the glove side.
Bidgood scored his second of the game in the third in what is becoming classic “Cohen Bidgood style” in his very young major junior career.
Bidgood was sent in on a short-handed breakaway and despite having a defender draped on his back, he got to the net and the puck rolled over the goal line to make it 6-2.
Blake Arrowsmith tipped in a Henry Brzustewicz shot on a 5-on-3 power play at 11:16 of the third period to finish the scoring.
Brampton outshot the Knights 32-27.
London was 1-for-7 on the power play and the Steelheads were 2-for-8.
The teams will play one more game against each other on Friday, Feb. 21 at Canada Life Place in London, Ont.
Up next
London will head north to Owen Sound for a game against the Attack on Wednesday, Oct. 8.
Owen Sound’s roster looks very different from the way that it has through the past two seasons.
The Attack have a young core and all kinds of new faces but they still have Carter George in goal, who is now a draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings.
Coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m., on 980 CFPL, on the CFPL website and on the Radioplayer Canada and iHeart Radio apps.
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