The London Knights celebrated the return of six players to their lineup, but the Brampton Steelheads ultimately secured a 2-1 victory over London at Canada Life Place on September 26.

Jared Woolley, Sam O’Reilly, Noah Read, Henry Brzustewicz, Aleksei Medvedev, and Linus Funck all made their regular season debuts against Brampton after returning from National Hockey League training camps. Woolley made an immediate impact, scoring a power play goal at 9:49 of the opening period. He skated into the high slot and wristed a shot past former London goaltender Zach Bowen, giving the Knights a 1-0 lead. Linus Funck and Rene Van Bommel earned the assists on the goal, with the helper marking the first of Funck’s OHL career.

Zach Bowen, who was acquired by the Steelheads from the Peterborough Petes during the offseason, guarded the net for Brampton. Bowen replaced Jack Ivankovic, who decided to play NCAA hockey at Michigan for the 2025-26 season.

Aleksei Medvedev was the standout story in his return to the London lineup, stopping 12 shots in a scoreless second period. Medvedev was selected in the second round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks and showcased strong goaltending throughout the game.

Early in the third period, a long pass freed Julian Demiglio, who broke behind the Knights’ defense and scored his third goal in three games for Brampton to tie the game 1-1. Just over four minutes later, Gabe Chiarot gave the Steelheads their first lead of the night. Holding onto the puck during a two-on-one, Chiarot snapped home his first goal of the year at 9:53 of the third period.

Brampton held off London through the final ten minutes to secure the victory. London rookie forward Mike Zakharov had the Knights’ best scoring opportunity late in the game, deking into the slot, but a defender’s stick blocked his shot near the side of the Brampton net.

The Steelheads outshot the Knights 25-16 overall. London went 1-for-4 on the power play and was perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.

**Up Next**
The Knights head to Erie, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, September 27, to face the Erie Otters for the first time in the 2025-26 regular season. The two clubs met twice in the preseason, with London winning both games 2-0 and 2-1.
https://globalnews.ca/news/11453376/brampton-steelheads-surge-edge-london-knights/