Generals edge Océanic 4-3
The ‘Big Rig’ gave further credence to the name on Saturday.
Oshawa Generals forward Hunter Smith used his big 6’6″ frame to put on a display of pure power to net the deciding goal in a 4-3 Generals victory over the Rimouski Océanic at the Colisée.
Smith dumped a low shot in on the pads of Rimouski goaltender Philippe Desrosiers to inspire a rebound and kept his momentum moving goalward as he outmuscled a Rimouski defender to bury the loose puck and put the Generals ahead for good.
“We prepared a lot for this game against an unfamiliar opponent and we accomplished what we set out to do,” Smith said after the win. “I think we lost our focus for a little bit in the first period when they got two quick ones and we can’t let those sorts of things happen. They pushed us – they play hard and we were able to match them.”
The OHL Champs’ opening game victory was sealed by a game-saver in the final seconds by goaltender Ken Appleby, who got his shoulder on an effort from in tight by Rimouski captain Alexis Loiseau.
A back-and-forth first period featured the Generals storming out of the gate before Rimouski took over in the latter half of the frame.
Oshawa started the scoring 4:07 into the first period as Ottawa Senators prospect Tobias Lindberg was in the right place at the right time. Michael McCarron sent a puck toward the Rimouski goal off an offensive zone draw, forcing Philippe Desrosiers into a big save off Lindberg before the Swedish winger cashed in on his second opportunity.
The Generals continued their attack just shy of the midway point of the period with Michael Dal Colle showing the fans at the Colisée how he scored 42 goals on the season. Dal Colle took a Matt Mistele drop pass off the rush and deposited a hard release off the glove of Desrosiers and into the net for a 2-0 edge.
After being outshot 9-2 in the opening half of the first, Rimouski turned on the jets in the final five minutes as Tyler Boland cut the Oshawa lead in half with a deflection in the slot at 15:26 before captain Alexis Loiseau knotted the score at two.
Loiseau would pick the pocket of an Oshawa defender to emerge from beneath the goal line and slip a low shot through the legs of Appleby at 16:10.
The first would end in a 2-2 tie with the Océanic climbing back to tie the shot clock at nine.
The second period turned into a battle of the goaltenders as Appleby and Desrosiers swapped big saves throughout the frame, keeping the score knotted at two.
Appleby got the Colisée crowd’s attention early in the second, using his big 6’4″ frame to reach across and pull a Tyler Boland effort out of the air just before it entered the goal. Desrosiers would respond with dual denials of Bradley Latour at the other end before a late lateral save off Hunter Smith on the doorstep.
Enjoying a pair of powerplays in the latter half of the second, the Generals would wrestle back control with a late marker off the stick of Stephen Desrocher. The 19 year-old would step into a one-timer as Cole Cassels won a clean offensive zone draw back to the point, allowing him to rip a shot past Desrosiers with 1:27 to spare.
Oshawa’s 3-2 lead would be short lived as Winnipeg Jets draftee Jan Kostalek found the upper reaches of the net on the powerplay 3:46 into the third.
Appleby would come up with a pivotal save just shifts later, rejecting Frédérik Gauthier from close quarters to keep things square at three.
The Oshawa offense began finding opportunities beyond the midway point of the third. Michael Dal Colle hit iron with 11:52 to go on the click, just a minute and a half before Smith’s difference maker.
“I thought we dictated the play early on,” said Generals coach DJ Smith post-game. “I think we settled into our cycle game in the third period and played the game the way we typically do when we’re successful. It’s good to get the first one out of the way, but there’s a lot of work left to do here.”
Oshawa outshot Rimouski 37-22 in the victory despite going 0-for-5 on the man advantage.
The Generals are back in action on Sunday against the host Québec Remparts at 4:30pm ET on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.
The Océanic are idle until they face the Kelowna Rockets on Monday at 7:30pm.