Evening the Score
Oshawa, ON – Led by a stellar performance from Jack Ivankovic, the Brampton Steelheads outlasted the Oshawa Generals’ pressure en route to a 3-1 victory.
Round One. Game Two. After falling in game one on Friday night, the Steelheads returned to the Tribute Communities Centre in hopes of tying the series at one apiece.
The playoff atmosphere was felt early, as both sides showed their displeasure with the other throughout the first five minutes.
Tempers flared at the fifteen-minute mark when Jack Van Volsen crashed the net in search of a rebound. In the process, Van Volsen was pushed into the Generals’ netminder, knocking off the net. The play went to a lengthy review to determine whether the puck crossed the goal line before the net was knocked off, but it was ruled no goal.
During the review, the Oshawa players hopped onto the ice to stay warm. It showed when play resumed, as the Generals came out flying. First, on a three-on-one, Calum Ritchie dropped for Matthew Buckley in the slot. The veteran hammered a one-timer on goal, where Finn Harding put his body on the line with a key block, negating the opportunity.
Oshawa continued to pressure when Beckett Sennecke charged down the left wing. This past year’s third-overall pick in the NHL draft cut from backhand to forehand before jamming a shot on goal. Jack Ivankovic was ready, as he sealed the post to keep it out.
After Jack Ivankovic kept it a tie game into the final minute, Brampton took its first lead of the 2025 OHL Playoffs. After a strong Steelheads forecheck, Konnor Smith stepped in from the left circle to fire a shot on goal. Mason Zebeski was parked in front, where he got a deflection on the puck, launching the puck to the back door for Luke Misa. The Oakville native made no mistake, one-timing the puck into the empty cage before Jacob Oster could locate it. His first of the playoffs sent the Trout to the dressing room up 1-0.
The Generals looked to swing momentum in their favour at the start of the second, as they went to a power play just twelve seconds after the puck dropped. The man advantage nearly connected early when Beckett Sennecke rifled one of the cross bar.
While still shorthanded, the Steelheads nearly found the back of the net. After forcing a turnover at the Brampton blue line, Jack Van Volsen soared up ice on a breakaway. The Oshawa backcheck forced Van Volsen to fire a shot from the hash marks, which was sticked aside by Oster.
A couple of minutes later, the Steelheads went back to the penalty kill. As the saying goes, you need your goalie to be your best penalty killer, and that was certainly the case here. Jack Ivankovic showed off his lateral movement, sliding over to deny Calum Ritchie the equalizer. As the penalty expired, Luca D’Amato cut around the Steelheads’ defender before snapping a shot on goal, but Jack Ivankovic was there again with another big save.
With just under four minutes to play in the period, the Steelheads doubled their lead. Luke Misa started the play in his own zone with a backhander off the glass and out. Carson Rehkopf picked up the puck in stride, bursting down the right wing. Ben Danford flew back to seemingly cut off the angle, but Rehkopf caught everyone by surprise with a perfect backhand sailing over the shoulder of Oster into the top shelf. His second goal of the playoffs sent Brampton into the third period with a two-goal lead.
The Steelheads pressed for more in the opening minutes of the final frame. When Luke Misa cleared the puck, Carson Rehkopf and Porter Martone joined the rush to make it a three-on-two. Misa dropped for Rehkopf at the line who loaded up a powerful wrister. His bid was stopped by Oster, as the puck bounced to Porter Martone on the doorstep who jammed a pair of shots on goal. Jacob Oster held strong, sticking his left pad out to keep it a two-goal game.
Brampton survived a scare at the fifteen-minute mark when the puck skipped over the stick of Spencer Sova onto the tape of Calum Ritchie. The New York Islanders prospect dropped to the Generals’ most dangerous goalscorer, Colby Barlow. The former Owen Sound Attack captain fired a shot on net, but Jack Ivankovic got in the way of his bid.
The Steelheads’ forecheck created some havoc in the Oshawa zone when Porter Martone stripped a defender behind the Generals’ goal. The Brampton captain quickly found Carson Rehkopf in the slot, whose wrister sailed off the glass.
Down two with three minutes to play, the Generals pulled their goalie in search of a late comeback. With an extra skater, the Generals hemmed Brampton in their own zone. The pressure paid off, as Luca Marrelli found Colby Barlow at the circle. The Winnipeg Jets’ prospect blasted a one-timer past a sprawled Ivankovic to cut the Trout lead in half.
Now down one, the Generals pulled their goalie looking for a repeat of last time, but the Steelheads did not let that happen. After blocking a shot, Porter Martone carried the puck all the way up ice to throw a shot on goal. His first chance rang iron, but the captain did not give. Martone chased down the loose puck before jamming the puck into the empty cage. The captain’s first of the playoffs put the cherry on top of a massive series-tying win.
The Steelheads return home Tuesday with a chance to take the series lead! Do not miss out on any playoff action by grabbing your tickets here!
