Eastern Conference Semi-Final Preview
By Aaron Bell
After sweeping aside the Mississauga Steelheads almost a week ago, the Oshawa Generals have been sitting idle waiting for their second round opponent. Fortunately they’ve been entertained while they were waiting.
Both the Kingston Frontenacs/Peterborough Petes and North Bay Battalion/Niagara IceDogs opening round sets went the full seven games.
The Petes were down and nearly out against the Frontenacs after dropping the first three games of the series but rebounded in dramatic fashion.
They staged a dramatic comeback on home ice in Game 6 after being down 3-0 and then replied with an overtime win in Game 7 in Kingston on Tuesday.
“I don’t know if we all really understand right now what we’ve just accomplished,” netminder Andrew D’Agostini told the Peterborough Examiner after that win.
D’Agostini was outstanding throughout the series – and especially during the third period on Tuesday when the Frontenacs were pushing hard for a go-ahead goal.
“It’s going to take some time to process this,” he said.
The Petes became just the fourth team in OHL history to come back and win a series after losing the first three games.
Their reward?
A second round match-up against the Generals, their most heated rivals and the Eastern Conference regular season champs.
The Generals finished 20 points ahead of the Petes this season and won five of eight head-to-head match-ups this season.
Michael Dal Colle (five goals, 10 points) and Hunter Smith (two goals, 10 points) tied for the team scoring lead in the first round of the playoffs while captain Scott Laughton was a dominating force against the Steelheads.
Nick Ritchie led the Petes in the first round with five goals and eight points. He scored Tuesday’s night’s overtime winner that eliminated the Frontenacs after taking a minor penalty with just over two minutes to go in the third.
That series starts on Friday in Oshawa.
Playoff History – OSH 4-3 in 1st round 2003, OSH 4-1 in 1st round 1999, OSH 4-2 in 2nd round 1997, PBO 4-3 in 1st round 1995, OSH 4-0 in 3rd round 1990, OSH 4-2 in 3rd round 1987, OSH 8-0 points in 2nd round 1983, OSH 8-2 points in 2nd round 1982, OSH 3-2 in 1st round 1981.
Oshawa Generals (1) vs. Peterborough Petes (6)
Game 1 – Fri Apr 4 7:05 PM at Oshawa
Game 2 – Sun Apr 6 6:05 PM at Oshawa
Game 3 – Tue Apr 8 7:05 PM at Peterborough
Game 4 – Thu Apr 10 7:05 PM at Peterborough
Game 5 – Fri Apr 11 7:05 PM at Oshawa*
Game 6 – Sun Apr 13 7:05 PM at Peterborough*
Game 7 – Tue Apr 15 7:05 PM at Oshawa*
* If necessary
Barrie rookie Mackenzie Blackwood has played like a veteran all season in the Colts’ net and is obviously comfortable carrying that status along in the post-season.
The 17-year-old from Thunder Bay posted impressive numbers in the Colts’ five game opening round win over the Sudbury Wolves and is poised to make life difficult for the North Bay Battalion when their second round match-up gets underway on Friday in North Bay.
“The guys played so strong in front of me,” Blackwood told the Barrie Advance after posting a shutout in the series-clinching game against Sudbury on Friday. “I didn’t want to get too overwhelmed early, it is a long game and anything can happen. I just tried to worry about one shot at a time.”
Meanwhile, the Battalion are enjoying their first season in North Bay and used the energy from their home crowd to rally past the Niagara IceDogs in Game 7 of that series on Tuesday.
“It’s been a roller-coaster type year for us,” Battalion netminder Jake Smith told The Nugget after Tuesday’s win. “We’re just a team that works harder than anybody, so I mean we’re just going to keep working as hard as we can and keep battling. I think that’s what this season and the first round so far shows.”
The Battalion and Colts split their regular season series with three wins each.
Playoff History – BAR 4-0 2nd round 2010, BAR 4-1 1st round 2008, BAR 4-0 1st round 2007, BAR 4-1 2nd round 2006, BRAM 4-2 1st round 2003, BAR 4-2 over NB 1st round 2000.
North Bay Battalion (2) vs. Barrie Colts (4)
Game 1 – Fri Apr 4 7:30 PM at North Bay
Game 2 – Sun Apr 6 2:00 PM at North Bay
Game 3 – Tue Apr 8 7:30 PM at Barrie
Game 4 – Thu Apr 10 7:30 PM at Barrie
Game 5 – Fri Apr 11 7:30 PM at North Bay*
Game 6 – Sun Apr 13 6:00 PM at Barrie*
Game 7 – Tue Apr 15 7:00 PM at North Bay*
* If necessary
Click here for the 2014 OHL Playoff Brackets
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