Generals Fall to 1st Place 67's
Published on December 18, 2011 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Oshawa Generals News Release
Oshawa, Ontario - Oshawa came close, but they couldn't find the winning recipe against Ottawa on Sunday night. The Generals fell 5-3 to the East Division, first place 67's before 4,920 strong at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa. Mark Petaccio tallied two goals for the Generals who generated 41 shots against Ottawa on the night. A 67's empty netter in the dying seconds gave Ottawa the cushion they needed in an otherwise tightly contested game.
Oshawa came crashing out of the gates with a committed forecheck that placed incredible strain on Ottawa's defenseman. There were scoring chances aplenty, and it was only a matter of time before the Generals cashed in.
Andy Andreoff looked incredibly powerful down low and nearly capitalized when he ploughed his way in front of the net and forced 67's goaltender, Michael Nishi, to make a stellar left pad save. Christian Thomas electrified the home crowd sifting through two defenders before being hauled down on a partial break. Mark Petaccio further fuelled the storm when he ripped a backhand on goal that Nishi robbed with his glove hand.
Ottawa made the most of their 10 shots in the frame and struck first when Tyler Toffoli picked the right corner on Generals' goaltender, Kevin Bailie, after intercepting a pass at his own blue line.
The setback didn't rattle the Generals one bit. Petaccio got Oshawa on the board at 8:25: he stood tall in front of the net, picked up a Colin Suellentrop rebound and swung the puck right around Nishi's outstretched right pad.
With the score knotted 1-1, the 67's further tested Oshawa's resilience. Sean Monahan slipped into the slot like a silent assassin and wired the puck past Bailie glove side.
Daniel Altshuller came on in relief of Bailie and kept the Generals in the game making an excellent right pad stop with two minutes left in the opening twenty. Daniel Maggio drew a roar from the crowd stepping into Dalton Smith in the offensive zone late in the period.
The drama reached its climax with zero seconds left on the clock when Scott Laughton was awarded a penalty shot: Laughton had slipped in behind the 67's D and was tripped on a clear break. With his second crack at Nishi, Laughton didn't make a mistake: he cruised in on goal with monk-like patience, dazzled Nishi with a beautiful dangle and buried the tying goal with a forehand. An elated crowd headed towards the concession stands with the score tied, 2-2.
Oshawa carried the buzz in the building into the second period. At 3:32, Lucas Lessio roared down the left side and saucered a perfect pass to Petaccio who catapulted towards the goal. Petaccio one-touched Lessio's feed through Nishi for his second of the night and gave the Generals their first lead of the game. It was short lived.
The 67's answered at 6:24. Ben Dubois was the offending party: he found the five-hole on Altshuller and locked the game at 3. Not quite satisfied, Ottawa reclaimed the lead on a Jake Cardwell one-timer that beat Altshuller glove side. Cardwell was left all alone to the side of the net with defensive zone coverage drawn to the passer on the play. After 2 periods of play, the Gens were down 4-3 with one more period to turn the game around.
In the third period, Oshawa battened down the hatches and searched for the equalizer with dogged determination. JP Labardo had extra pep in his step and put together a string of impressive shifts that seemed certain to put the Generals back on the winning track. On one near goal, Labardo snaked out from behind the net and fired two bullets on Nishi who was up to the task and made two timely extended left pad saves.
The game's final result became crystal clear when the 67's hit the empty net with 1:13 remaining.
Oshawa outshot Ottawa 41-30 on the night.
Mark Petaccio was the game's first star, and Scott Laughton picked up the third star selection in the loss.
Next weekend, the Generals break for the Christmas holiday, but not for too long: they're back in action on Wednesday December 28th when they take on the Erie Otters at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa. Start time is 7:05 PM. Happy Holidays from all of us here at oshawagenerals.com, and we'll see you on the 28th!
Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 18, 2011
- Generals Fall to 1st Place 67's - Oshawa Generals
- Majors Win in Shootout - Mississauga St. Michael's Majors
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