Horvat scores with 0.1 seconds left as Knights beat Colts in Game 7 of OHL final

LONDON, Ont. - Bo Horvat's goal with 0.1 seconds left to play lifted the London Knights to a 3-2 win over the Barrie Colts in Game 7 of the Ontario Hockey League final on Monday.

The Knights are the first back-to-back OHL champions since the Windsor Spitfires in 2009 and 2010.

Horvat, who also scored 7:13 of the first period to open the scoring, finished the series with seven goals and four assists, and was named the winner of the 99 Trophy as playoff MVP. Horvat had 16 goals and seven assists in 21 playoff contests.

Andreas Athanasiou scored midway through the first for Barrie to even it 1-1. The former Knight scored in six of the seven games.

Olli Maatta's power-play goal in the middle frame restored the London lead.

London maintained its 2-1 advantage until Colts' Mitchell Theoret's 14th of the playoffs at 17:09 of the third created the electric finish in front of 9,046 at the Budweiser Gardens.

The Knights now join host Saskatoon Blades, WHL champion Portland Winterhawks and QMJHL winners Halifax Mooseheads at the Memorial Cup, which begins Friday with the Blades entertaining London in the tourney opener. Saskatoon has been idle since March 27, losing in the first round of the WHL playoffs.

Last year, the Knights lost in the Memorial Cup final in overtime, 2-1 to Shawinigan.

Theoret had one goal and one assist for Barrie as the Colts had led the best-of-seven 3-1 before losing 6-4, and 5-4 in overtime to force the decisive seventh game. The Colts played without OHL playoff scoring champion Mark Scheifele (15 goals, 41 points), who was injured in Game 6 in Barrie.

Jake Patterson stopped 30 of 32 for London for his third post-season win in three consecutive starts. Anthony Stolarz had won London's first 13 in the playoffs.

Mathias Niederberger faced 48 shots, including Barrie trailing that stat 39-17 after two periods.

The Colts' only OHL title was in 2000, when they outlasted Plymouth in seven games, clinching that year on the road.