OHL Oshawa Generals

Game Day: Generals vs. Battalion

Published on January 31, 2014 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Oshawa Generals News Release


After their 5-4 loss to the Erie Otters on Sunday January 26th, the Generals are back at it at the GMC tonight when they take on Stan Butler's, North Bay Battalion. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:35PM. Fans, TD Bank Group is a proud supporter of your Oshawa Generals. TD welcomes you to TD Green Night at the General Motors Centre! In addition to TD's support of the local community, TD encourages its customers to "think green", that's why the first 200 fans tonight received a reusable TD Friends of the Environment Foundation shopping bag. In addition, everyone in attendance tonight has a chance to win an autographed Oshawa Generals hockey sweater courtesy of TD.  Just stop by the TD table located behind Section 116 to fill in a free ballot! As part of TD's ongoing commitment to the Durham community, TD will be presenting a cheque for $40,000 to The Parkwood Foundation supporting several of their key museum initiatives. TD is delighted to support the Parkwood Foundation's work with heritage conservation and also several of the specialty programs on museum education run by the Parkwood Foundation. 

Fans are encouraged to tweet their seat location at tonight's game as one lucky fan will walk away with an Oshawa Centre prize courtesy of the Oshawa Centre and the Oshawa Centre Tweet Your Seat promotion. Be sure to tweet @OshawaCentre and @Oshawa_Generals while including the hash tag ocatthegens to be entered into the contest! If your tweet does not get picked tonight then don't worry as the promotion will be happening at each Generals home game this season.

Oshawa, who headed into their match-up against the Otter's on Sunday were looking to make it 6 wins in a row. It only took until the five minute mark of the first period for Otters, Connor Brown to get onto the scoresheet, sneaking a weird one past Daniel Altshuller to put Erie up 1-0 early in the first. After the Generals were awarded a two-minute penalty, Brendan Gaunce re-directed a laser top-corner over Altshuller's shoulder to put the Otters ahead 2-0 on the power play. The Gaunce goal caused some confusion, and due to a clock malfunction the period was ended early. The remaining four minutes were played before the teams switched ends for the official start of the second period. The boys from Oshawa went to work on their first power play of the second. After some beautiful passing, the puck made its way to Scott Laughton, who was stationed on the blue line. Laughton let a rocket go, which made its way passed Otters netminder Oscar Dansk. Laughton's power play goal came at 4:39 into the second period and cut the Otters lead to 2-1. The Otters struck ten minutes later when Conner Brown buried his second of the night to put the Otters up 3-1 heading into the third. Dylan Smoskowitz brought the score to within one when he weaved his way through Erie's zone and sent the puck top-shelf over Dansk. The goal came just two minutes and three seconds into the third and was Smoskowitz's twenty third of the season. Oshawa was penalized shortly after, which made room for Connor Brown to complete the hat-trick and give the Otters another two goal lead, bringing the score to 4-2. Brown's third goal of the night prompted a goaltender change for the Generals, and saw Kenny Appleby station himself in net for the remainder of the game. Will Petschenig got the Generals to within one again halfway through the third after firing one in from the blue line only to have Erie answer right back with a goal from Kyle Pettit. Scott Laughton added one more in the third, but it wasn't enough to overtake the Otters who took this one by a score of 5 to 4.

North Bay was in action last night against the 2014 Memorial Cup hosts, the London Knights. The Knights exploded in the first period for four goals courtesy of Alex Basso, Bo Horvat, Chris Tierney and Matt Rupert, the Knights took a 4-0 lead into the first intermission. North Bay responded early in the second when overage forward Ben Thomson scored two goals in the first eight games of the period to bring the Battalion within two.  The Knights responded with three unanswered goals in two minutes and eleven seconds to take a commanding 7-2 lead.  North Bay's Vincent Praplan scored on the PowerPlay at 16:46 to cut the lead to four, the Knights tallied one more goal before the period was over to take an 8-3 lead into the second intermission, putting the game out of reach.  London's Brett Welchyka scored for the Knights to minutes and fifty two seconds into the third making extending the lead to six.  North Bay Captain Barclay Goodrow registered his 23rd of the season with over ten minutes to play giving North Bay their fourth goal of the game, it was as close as they would come and the Knights cruised to the 9-4 victory.  North Bay goalie Jake Smith was left in for all nine goals on 32 shots against, forward Ben Thomson picked up third star for his two-goal effort.

Fans, while at tonight's game keep an eye on North Bay Battalion forward, Nick Paul. The 2013 Dallas Stars fourth round draft pick has 20 goals 14 assists for a total of 34 points in 49 games this season.  Just one year ago, Nick only had 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in 66 games with the Battalion.  Paul has been heating up in the later part of January and comes into tonight's game riding a five game point streak,  during those five games he has registered five goals and five assists including one assist last night against the Knights. 

Keep an eye on Oshawa Generals d-man #6 Will Petschenig. Will who just played in his 100th career OHL game is a big part of the Generals defence core this season. Will has 2 goals and 10 assists so far this season with the Gens.  

Following tonight's game against the Battalion, Oshawa will be back on home ice this Sunday for a special Superbowl 2:05PM match-up against Dylan Smoskowitz' former team, the Mississauga Steelheads.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 31, 2014


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