Round One Preview: Red Hot Generals Versus 8th Seed Colts
Oshawa, Ont. – The time is finally here, GensNation!
After an unbelievable second half of the season and an even more incredible month of March to wrap up regulation games, your Oshawa Generals have landed in the driver’s seat for the first round of the 2024 OHL Playoffs. First seed versus the eighth, and we bet you can guess where the Generals sit in this matchup.
The Generals were deemed as this year’s underdogs after a devastating playoff run last season where they fell 4-1 in the first-round series against the Ottawa 67’s. Rewinding to fall 2023, the boys sat near the bottom of the 10-team conference and now, they are ruled as the beats of the East.
Stated by Tim Kelly, Durham Region News, notes that the key factors that switched gears for the Generals this season include:
- The return of forwards Calum Ritchie and LukeTorrance from long-term injuries
- The acquisition of overage star Connor Lockhart
- The emergence of Jacob Oster as perhaps the Ontario Hockey League’s best goaltender
- The acquisition of defencemen Connor Punnett and Zachary Sandhu at the trade deadline
- The vast improvements of Matthew Buckley and David Bedkowski and the steady improvement of Luca Marrelli, Ben Danford and Beckett Sennecke
- The import draft/signing of NHL draftee Rasmus Kumpulainen
The Generals’ opponents will be the eighth-place Barrie Colts, a 60-point regular season club they beat 5-1 and 5-2 in their last two games. Owning the top spot, the Generals secured the home-ice advantage for the first two games which will be held this weekend, Mar. 29 and Mar. 31, at the TCC.
Head-to-head this season, the Colts and Generals both relished home ice. Barrie beat the Generals 7-1 back in October at Sadlon Arena, followed by a 3-2 shootout win, also at home, in late January. The Generals won their two home games back in Oshawa by scores of 5-2 on Feb. 25 and 5-1 on Mar. 10.
Colts captain Beau Jelsma led the team this season with 37 goals and 44 assists for 81 points in 67 games, followed by Riley Patterson with 29 goals and 33 assists for 62 points while playing the full 68-game schedule.
The Generals have three amazing lines, including leading goal-scorer and captain Stuart Rolofs, Colorado prospect and point leader, Calum Ritchie, veteran forward Dylan Roobroeck and eight 20-goal-plus scorers, six stellar defencemen, and arguably the league’s best goalie, Jacob Oster.
Connor Punnett, former Barrie captain, will be matching up against familiar faces, while Colts OA Thomas Stewart makes his return to the TCC this playoff series with a new logo on his chest.
With 12 straight wins, Oshawa will be a very tough playoff opponent, but the Colts are not going to let Oshawa catch a break. This series will not be one to miss and it starts THIS WEEKEND!
Get your tickets at oshawagenerals.com and be a part of the Red Hot GensNation!