Gens Blow Out Kingston
Published on January 21, 2012 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Oshawa Generals News Release
Oshawa, Ontario - It was a great night at the rink for the Generals on Saturday. They exercised a season's worth of demons, pummelling Kingston 11-3 before a rocking crowd of 4,603 at the General Motors Centre. Boone Jenner had a 4 point night and Lucas Lessio scored his team leading 23rd goal of the season. Lessio, Sebastian Uvira, and Josh Graves all collected 3 points on the evening. Matt Petgrave scored his first goal as a General, and 15 Oshawa skaters scored at least 1 point in the win.
Sporting their blue jerseys, the Generals strutted into the first period with something to prove. The crowd was electric from the opening faceoff. Oshawa fed off their energy.
Sebastian Uvira was dominant early: he whistled a snapshot that just sailed over the crossbar guarded by Kingston goaltender, Igor Bobkov. The Frontenacs zone was a hive of offensive activity, and Josh Graves added to the frenzy by steamrolling defenders into the glass.
Kevin Bailie got the call in goal for Oshawa. He was the Generals' best defender on an early penalty kill. Making a move straight out of Cirque Du Soleil, Bailie sprawled across the net and robbed Cody Alcock who had a sure tap in at the far post.
The stage was set for Oshawa to draw first blood. Lucas Lessio blew by a defender on the right boards and waltzed around the defenseman in the slot. Oshawa's leading scorer wired a laser that Bobkov just nicked with his left toe. Right on cue, Boone Jenner stormed the net and hammered home the generous rebound. The 13:11 marker put Oshawa up 1-0. They were far from finished.
Two minutes later, Matt Petgrave jumped in on the action, sneaking in from the point undetected to the foot of the crease. Operating from behind the net, Christian Thomas sent the puck to Petgrave with surgeon-like precision. Petgrave chipped the pass into the penthouse of the net for his first goal as a General. Oshawa led by 2.
Scott Sabourin further satisfied Oshawa's thirst for offensive production at 18:30. Crashing in on a flurry of crease action, Sabourin backhanded a rebound that kissed the twine in the same spot as Petgrave's preceding goal. At period's end, Oshawa led 3-0 and was outshooting Kingston 18-11.
In the second period, the good times kept on rolling for the Generals. Colin Suellentrop and Nick Quinn were pillars of strength on the back end. Oshawa's forecheck had Kingston's D blowing gaskets.
Jenner continued the assault scoring his second of the night at 5:47. Lessio and Petgrave dissected defensive zone coverage and Jenner finished by shelving a wrister short-side (right where mamma hides the cookies)!
Thomas piled on another at 8:29. Bailie made a coast-to-coast save on Kingston's Warren Steele that set the table for Thomas going the other way. Thomas tore his NHL calibre snapshot, and it absolutely bludgeoned the back of the net. In fact, Thomas hammered the puck so hard that it shot out quicker than it went in. The 5-0 marker was Bobcov's lift-ticket out of the game.
Jacob Riley didn't fare any better. Lessio celebrated Riley's arrival by sifting through Kingston's D with the slickness of a London pickpocket. Lessio slipped the puck under Riley for his team leading 23rd goal of the season. The shorthanded goal came at 9:18.
That's when Quinn decided it was time to become Scott Niedermayer. Quinn sprung Nicklas Jensen free with a tape-to-tape pass, and Oshawa's favourite Dane made no mistake. Never tipping his hand, Jensen undressed Riley with a deke before darting the puck into the heart of the net.
Kingston managed a goal on the power play before the period ended, but heading into the third, the damage was done. Oshawa had an Everest-like 7-1 advantage.
In the third period, the Generals continued to turn Kingston's zone into the red-light-district. Uvira led the charge scoring 2: the first was a lovely toe drag that scorched by Riley's blocker.
Graves hopped on the gravy train running Oshawa's goal total to double digits at 6:58. Jenner put the icing on the cake completing his hat-trick at 18:10. The final buzzer sounded an 11-3 Oshawa victory. It must have been music to Kingston's ears who managed 2 third period goals but were happy to complete an absolutely miserable night.
The win is an important one as the Generals push to regain a playoff position. With the Belleville Bulls losing to the Kitchener Rangers tonight, the Generals are now 1 point out of 8th place.
Jenner, Uvira and Graves were the game's first, second and third stars.
Bailie made 38 saves in the win.
Shots were even at 41, but as evidenced by the scoreboard, the Generals clearly owned the majority of the evening's dangerous scoring opportunities.
Oshawa defends home turf again tomorrow, Sunday January 22nd, when the Barrie Colts barge into the General Motors Centre for the first time this season. Start time is 6:05 PM.
Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 21, 2012
- Gens Blow Out Kingston - Oshawa Generals
- Murphy Scores Game Winner in Belleville - Kitchener Rangers
- Otters Stopped in Overtime, 2-1 - Erie Otters
- IceDogs Fall to Wolves 4-3 - Niagara IceDogs
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