You didn't think they'd go 68-0, did you? So the London Knights and Mississauga IceDogs wound up in a 3-3 tie last night, ending London's bid to break the OHL record for consecutive wins from the start of the season.

It might be have been a source of pride breaking the 11-game streak. But earning 21 out of a possible 22 points is nothing to sneer at.

And besides, last night's contest was the best game of the season by far.

"We'll, we were kind of hoping to go 68-0," the Knights' Brandon Prust smiled. "They came in with nothing to lose and they really wanted to stop us from getting the record.

"It was a good battle."

It wasn't quite the frenzied atmosphere of the playoffs but for 11 games into the season there was an air of expectation around the building last night.

There were plenty of people scurrying about outside the John Labatt Centre looking for tickets to watch the Knights take on the IceDogs.

But if tickets were going to be had, it wasn't going to be from the box office. The game was a sellout. They would have to be purchased from someone outside the building, except there weren't many people selling.

Inside, as the game came drew to a conclusion, the building got louder. Fans even did the wave, as outdated and out of fashion as that is.

It was all about the record. Whether the record is really of major importance is open to debate, but working on a 10-game winning streak from the start of the season created a certain buzz about the place.

Such an explosive start to the season has given the Knights a big boost. Points will be much harder to come by when the snow flies.

"We've just started talking about the record a little bit," said forward Rick Steadman.

"It would be a good accomplishment, but it's really the two points each time we win that's important."

And if a record happened to come with it, so much the better.

It didn't happen because the IceDogs have a good team, made better by trading for John Hecimovic and Daniel Carcillo of the Sarnia Sting.

Neither was particularly effective last night, and Hecimovic embarrassed himself by faking the taking of a high stick to the face late in the match to draw a penalty. It fooled no one.

As for the Knights, the streak built a degree of confidence. "We go out there every game and believe we can win," said Steadman.

When looking at the streak, the usual names have found their way onto the list of why the team is winning. Corey Perry, Dylan Hunter, Danny Syvret, Rob Schremp and others.

But there are those who helped build the streak who are often overlooked, such as Perry, Syvret and Hunter, who put together three-, four- and five-point games.

Steadman is a case in point.When Prust was injured and couldn't play with Perry and Hunter, Steadman stepped in and the other two went on a tear. He played on the power play, killed penalties and did whatever was asked.

OK, so he isn't the swiftest or biggest, nor does he have the best hands. But he plays smart.

"I just take it one shift at a time," he says.

Another who has struggled over the years for recognition but continues to contribute is Rob Drummond.

With the IceDogs and Knights tied 1-1 in the third period, he used his speed to bust into the IceDogs zone and rip a wrist shot into the top corner to give the Knights a 2-1 lead.

So it goes with streaks. They are highlighted by spectacular individual performances but they are built and prolonged on the concept of team play.