Generals make best of their chances, send 67’s back to the drawing board
The Ottawa 67’s headed to Canada’s motor city for the first time in their Eastern Conference Quarter Finals series, where they took on the Oshawa Generals on Tuesday night.
The game was filled with ups and downs. The Generals opened the scoring before the Barber Poles rallied to find three consecutive markers. Up by two goals midway through the third period, it seemed like the Ottawa was on their way to a 3-0 series lead, but the Gens weren’t finished.
Things changed quickly, and in the span of just under eight minutes, Ottawa had lost the lead. Jack Beck managed to bring the game level once more with five seconds to go, but in the end, it was for not, as the Gens stole their first win of the series, bringing the 67’s advantage to just one game.
“It’s tough to digest right now, there are lots of emotions,” said 67’s Assistant Coach Norm Milley immediately following the game. “We had a couple of breakdowns, but overall, we played a solid game.”
The catalyst for the sudden momentum swing was a pair of goals, the first of which came on a review process, immediately followed by a Generals’ goal on the power play. It can serve as a lesson for the young 67’s roster. The officiating – whether you agree with a call or not – can’t throw you off of your game.
“There were a few calls that didn’t go our way, but those things are out of our control, and we can’t worry about that,” Milley said.
A playoff loss is nothing new, it happens to even the best teams in the world. The difference will come in the team’s response to adversity.
“It does sting because of the way things unfolded, but if you want to go far in the playoffs, you’re going to face some adversity,” Milley said. “It’s good for us to face it now and see what we’re made of. We have a team that is resilient, and I know that each and every one of those guys in the locker room [will bounce back].”
Will Gerrior, who picked up a pair of points including a goal in the losing effort, says that the loss stings pretty bad for him and his teammates, largely thanks to the wild emotional swings throughout the contest.
Despite the shock of the result, there are plenty of positives to take away from the game. On the practice ice on Wednesday, Gerrior says that the focus will be on tightening up the issues, but highlighting the positives will be equally as important.
“Throughout the season, it’s always great to take the positives out of the situation,” Gerrior said. “That’s the main thing you must keep doing again, so it’s important. We fought back in the third and did some good things.”
With full knowledge that Game 3 was going to be their biggest test yet, the Barber Poles were buzzing for a large portion of the night. On Tuesday, they got a reminder that the Generals won’t roll over, and it will be a fight right until the end.
“A wake-up call is a good way to describe it,” Gerrior said. “Give them credit, they are a good team, and they work really hard, and they showed us that they will push back. It’s something that we need to remember going forward.”
On the practice ice, and when the puck is down on Thursday night, the effort won’t be a question.
“With this group, it has never been a lack of effort,” Milley said. “That’s one of the reasons we have been so good [this season].”
Game 4 of the series goes on Thursday night from the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa, with puck drop coming at 7:05 p.m. ET.
