Gens having fun despite tough stretch

By Chris Jones/The Oshawa Express

It’s been a tough stretch for the Gens, as their losing streak has now climbed to four games.

Oshawa was on the road on taking on the Kitchener Rangers.

The first period was a tale of two halves, as the Generals allowed three goals in the first 10 minutes of the game.

However, they retaliated quickly as captain Kyle MacLean whipped one over the shoulder of Kitchener goaltender Lucas Pfeil while playing four-on-four hockey.

Just over a minute later, players were fighting for the puck in front of the Kitchener net. The puck eventually found its way behind the net, where Allan McShane was able to swing around and try to squeeze it in, with the puck ultimately going in off the stick of Nico Gross, bringing the Gens to within one.

Then, with the clock ticking away, Brett Neumann found himself situated around the back of the net looking for an opening.

Without a shot, Neumann quickly shuffled the puck to MacLean, who fired in his second of the game to tie the score heading into the second period.

But the second period didn’t go Oshawa’s way as the Gens allowed two goals, making it 5-3 heading into the final frame.

Oshawa fought hard in the third, with more than double the scoring chances than the Rangers.

With the clock about to reach the final two minutes of play, William Ennis ripped a shot through a slew of players to bring Oshawa within one.

But it wasn’t meant to be, as Kitchener would add one more on the empty net to make the final score 6-4.

MacLean was the lone player to be named a star of the game after scoring two goals.

Oshawa outshot their opponents 37 to 30, while going 1-for-6 on the powerplay.

In earlier action, the Generals were making up a game against the Kingston Frontenacs at home after it was delayed due to weather.

The Generals started the game strong as they outshot Kingston 20-5 in the first period.

Ty Tullio opened the scoring in the first with a one-timer off a pass from Giovanni Vallati, making it rain stuffed animals from the crowd during the annual Teddy Bear Toss.

Later in the period, Vallati ripped a shot from the point, and Serron Noel caught the rebound on his stick, and his desperation pass found the blade of McShane, who brought the lead to two before going into the second period.

After allowing a goal to begin the second period, McShane once again took hold of the puck after Vallati fired a shot from the point, and it bounced off the pads of goaltender Christian Propp.

McShane then backhanded the puck over Propp’s shoulder, to bring the lead back up to two with his second of the game.

The Frontenacs cut into the lead again with a goal from Shane Wright, making it 3-2.

Tullio added one more after McShane shuffled the puck his way from the corner, making it 4-2 heading into the third.

Despite their lead, the Gens allowed two more goals in the third, tying the game and going into overtime.

After going to a shootout, where the first two Kingston shooters scored, the Gens were handing another loss, extending their losing streak to four games in a row.

Two Gens were honoured for their play as McShane was named the first star of the game after scoring two goals and an assist, and Tullio was the second star of the game with two goals.

Despite the loss, Oshawa outshot Kingston 44-25, and went 3-for-5 on the powerplay.

Oshawa returns home this weekend to take on the rival Peterborough Petes at 7:35 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13.