The London Knights were on the verge of sweeping the Kitchener Rangers in the second round of the OHL playoffs, but they needed to come back from being down 4-1 in order to do it.
Enter: Mitch Marner, taking the game by the reins and leading his team to a 6-4 series-clinching victory by scoring a hat trick (and getting an assist, for good measure).
You can watch all of the highlights above, including:
- 0:27 - Jeremy Bracco scores (bonus!)
- 1:30 - Marner scores his first of the game, 43 seconds after the Rangers had made it 4-1
- 2:03 - Marner scores his second of the game, 10 seconds after his teammate tied the game; this was the game winner
- 2:12 - Marner completes the hat trick with an empty netter to seal the deal/
With 24 points in 10 games, Marner has sole possession of the OHL playoff scoring lead. His teammate, the draft-eligible Matthew Tkachuk, is right behind him with 22 points in 10 games.
The Knights advance to the OHL's West Final, where they'll likely face the Erie Otters, who have a 3-1 series lead over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Both the Knights and Otters finished with 105 points on the season, so it should be a hell of a series - and one where Marner could really showcase himself even further.