It wasn’t pretty.

The degree of difficulty was off the charts.

But the London Knights are moving on in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs.

They took out Owen Sound 5-2 Sunday in Game 6 of their first-round series before 3,045 at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.

The defensive-minded Attack gave London more of a test than any puck prognosticators expected and the Knights needed goalie Tyler Parsons in a starring role to finish it off.

“We’re moving forward,” the 18-year-old from Michigan said after his 31-save performance, which included a highlight-reel stop in the first period, “and I think we’ll do well (in future series).”

The Knights headed for home not knowing who they would face in the next round. But they feel better prepared for it after getting through this one.

“Owen Sound made us have to sharpen our senses,” London assistant coach Dylan Hunter said. “It was touch-and-go all series.”

Five of the six games were won by the road team. The Knights went three-for-three at the Bayshore and the Attack won two of three at Budweiser Gardens — after losing all three regular-season meetings and being outscored 16-2 in the process.

“We struggled with our starts (to games),” London defenceman Victor Mete said. “Owen Sound was always beating us in the first. But the guys realized it and it was good for us.”

Matthew Tkachuk, the NHL’s top-rated North American skater for the 2016 NHL draft, led the London offence with eight goals. It’s the most any Knight has scored in a playoff series against the Attack.

Speedy Cliff Pu, operating minus suspended linemate Max Jones, had a breakout performance with five goals in the six games.

The Knights finished 30 points ahead of Owen Sound during the regular season, but it sure didn’t look that way the past week-and-a-half.

They were fortunate to have Parsons on board.

“I’ve seen him make a lot of saves (over the past two years), but he was in the zone,” Dylan Hunter said. “He’s played exceptionally well and he was on top of his game.”

A top-end goalie isn’t everything needed to win an OHL championship.

But it was enough to get past the first round.

They will need a much bigger effort in the games to come.

ryan.pyette@sunmedia.ca

Twitter.com/RyanatLFPress

GAME GLANCE

Knights 5, Attack 2

(London wins best-of-seven OHL Western quarterfinal 4-2)

London goals: Matthew Tkachuk (2), Christian Dvorak, Victor Mete, Cliff Pu

Owen Sound goals: Nick Suzuki, Josh Sterk

Next: The Knights move on to the second round of the OHL playoffs.