The London Knights scored a controversial playoff goal  – awarded after ref review – after the net was displaced by the Kitchener Rangers.

With the game tied 2-2 in the third, London’s Max McCue attempted a wraparound. Kitchener goaltender Jackson Parsons lunged across the crease to make the stop, knocking the far goalpost off its peg in the process.  The puck bounced to the Knights’ Denver Barkey in the slot who backhanded the puck…   right into where the net should have been. 

Referees Chad Ingalls and Mac Nichol called no goal on the play, then opted for a second look via video review. 

 

 

The OHL recently made a change to their review policy for the start of the playoffs, allowing the officials to review potential goals — and giving the final decision to the referees.  After review, London was awarded a goal. 

Rule 63.7 covers the awarded goal:

In the event that the goal post is displaced, either deliberately or accidentally, by a defending player, prior to the puck crossing the goal line between the normal position of the goalposts, the Referee may award a goal.

In order to award a goal in this situation, the goal post must have been displaced by the actions of a defending player, the attacking player must have an imminent scoring opportunity prior to the goal post being displaced, and it must be determined that the puck would have entered the net between the normal position of the goal posts.

If the net was still in place, Barkey would’ve hit twine.  London took a 3-2 lead without the puck actually entering the net. 

“If you look at it with the net on, it’s a goal. It’s clearly inside the post,” Barkey said after the game.  “I thought I just missed a chance and the play was dead, but they went to review it and I saw the video and thought, ‘Holy, I might get a goal out of this’. Fortunately, we did.”

Commissioner David Branch confirmed the ruling by the officials.

“The on-ice officials and video goal judge applied the correct rule and made the correct decision,” said Branch, as reported by the London Free Press. “There’s certainly no controversy in our minds.”

 

London and Kitchener will meet up for Game 2 of their series on Saturday afternoon.