Gens fall short against Erie after clinching playoff position
Oshawa Generals Mason Kohn advances against Jordan Sambrook of the Erie Otters on Feb. 20 at the Tribute Communities Centre. Despite holding their own against the OHL’s top team, the Gens would fal 4-3 in the match. The team was hit by another dose of bad news over the weekend after learning they had missed out on hosting the 2018 Memorial Cup to the Regina Pats.
By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express
After a pair of victories, the Oshawa Generals couldn’t sustain their winning ways as they fell 4-3 to the Erie Otters on Feb. 20 the Tribute Communities Centre.
The special afternoon Family Day game saw more than 6,000 fans fill the TCC, many of them hoping to see the return of former captain Anthony Cirelli. The match marked the first time the Otters have come to Oshawa since the trade in January that saw Cirelli moved to the American club.
The Otters, who currently lead the league with 89 points, struck first in the game jumping ahead to a 2-0 lead after the first period.
However, a scramble play in the second would see Eric Henderson push in his 19th of the season, followed by a rocket from the point off the stick of Medric Mercier to tie the game.
The Generals would find themselves trailing once again when a misplayed shot from Mercier ended up over the boards for a delay of game penalty. It didn’t take long for the Erie powerplay to put one past goaltender Jeremy Brodeur and go ahead 3-2.
The response was swift however, as Matt Brassard, picking up the puck in the hash-marks, fired the puck into the back of the net to tie the game.
Late in the third period, with the game still tied, the frustration started to show as both teams began to get a little liberal with the sticks. The crowd got into it at one point after an apparent hook on Domenic Commisso went unpunished, followed by a high stick that caught Mason Kohn in the eye and left him lying on the ice.
It was not long after that the Otters were able to jump ahead with only a few minutes remaining and win the game 4-3.
The loss followed a pair of Generals wins earlier in the weekend, both in shootout first over the Ottawa 67s on Feb. 17 and the Owen Sound Attack on Feb. 18. The victories helped in clinching a playoff spot with the end of the season fast approaching.
Despite the loss on Monday, Henderson says the game was a good omen.
“We know that we can compete with the best teams in the league and stay with them every game,” he says. “So we just got to stay confident and continue that the rest of the way.”
The same was said by former Erie Otter Alan McShane.
“I think it’s a good indication that we can hold on to these games and moving forward be a contender,” he says.
And while the game marked the return of Cirelli, fans would be disappointed to find him out of the lineup, sidelined with an injury earlier in the week.
“Obviously you want to play against your former team in their building, but things happen,” Cirelli said after the game. “It’s a pretty cool feeling. Being back on the opposite side is a little different obviously, but everyone was always great to me.”
A tribute to Cirelli’s time with Oshawa, including a clip of him scoring the 2015 Memorial Cup winning goal, was played during the game’s first period. It was greeted with a standing ovation from the crowd.
“It means a lot,” Cirelli says. “I thank the Generals for doing that for me. Just to hear them cheering for me one last time is pretty cool. This place will always have a little spot in my heart for me, obviously, I’ve been here so long, it was great.”
The Oshawa Generals are back this weekend with a rare home double-header. They will kick the weekend off in Ottawa on Feb. 24, before returning home to face the Kitchener Rangers on Feb. 25 and the Peterborough Petes on Feb. 26.