Generals set for MasterCard Memorial Cup

Thursday May 21, 2015

The Oshawa Generals are back at the MasterCard Memorial Cup for the first time in 18 years, looking to build off an exciting run through the OHL Playoffs that saw them display their depth and discipline in a 4-1 series victory over the Erie Otters in the Rogers OHL Championship Series.

The Generals enter the 97th MasterCard Memorial Cup in Québec City as OHL Champions for the first time since 1997. A core of veterans, paired with mid-season acquisitions in Michael McCarron, Matt Mistele and Dakota Mermis led the Generals over Connor McDavid and the Otters, outscoring their opponents 24-13 in the five game series.

With the battlements of Old Québec in the backdrop, the Generals prepare for the national showcase with some valuable intel on their unfamiliar opponents gathered through video scouting and from contacts across the country.

“We’ve seen a lot of video on these teams, I’ve been watching it all week,” Generals coach DJ Smith told TSN 1050 on Tuesday. “I’ll be reaching out to some coaches I know in the QMJHL for some of their insights. You need to be observant and know your opponent, but you also have to make sure you don’t lose track of the things your team is doing. We need to worry about ourselves first and foremost.”

Smith, who earned OHL Coach of the Year recognition in 2014, says this Generals team benefitted from the experience of last year’s 4-0 series loss in the Eastern Conference Final, coming back bigger and more prepared this time around.

“I really entered this year thinking we had one of the better teams in the league,” Smith continued. “Last year I think we overachieved a little bit and wound up getting swept. This year we had a lot of guys returning who know how to play the game the right way. Our success is a result of a strong core of veterans in our dressing room and the addition of some character guys by General Manager Roger Hunt over the course of this season.”

Smith was quick to praise current Pioneer Energy OHL Player of the Week Cole Cassels for his often unsung contributions to the team’s success. Cassels, who had four goals and eight assists in the Rogers OHL Championship Series, finished tied for the lead in Generals playoff scoring with 10 goals, 21 assists and 31 points.

“Cole doesn’t get a lot of credit because he isn’t a pure offensive guy,” Smith said. “When you look at hockey and NHL calibre guys, any NHL coach would see a guy like Cole and like him. He’s probably more NHL-ready than a lot of guys out there. He’s a 200-foot player that does the little things for us. He wins a lot of faceoffs and battles hard.”

Cassels and a supporting offensive cast that includes New York Islanders first round pick Michael Dal Colle and hulking wingers Michael McCarron and Hunter Smith will be up against the QMJHL Champion Rimouski Océanic when the puck drops on Saturday at 4:30pm on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific.

As is often the case this time of year, attention across Ontario turns to the Generals, who represent the OHL in the MasterCard Memorial Cup Championship that hasn’t seen a winner from the ‘O’ in quite some time.

“I’ve received a lot of well wishes from other teams around the league,” Smith said. “I know in the past when we’ve been out of the picture there’s always been a lot of support for the OHL club that is competing. There’s a lot of pride in this for us and it’s been five years since the OHL has won, so we want to be the team to put us back on top.”

Oshawa Generals MasterCard Memorial Cup Schedule
(All games can be seen on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific)

Saturday May 23 vs. Rimouski (4:30pm)
Sunday May 24 vs. Québec (4:30pm)
Tuesday May 26 at Kelowna (7:30pm)

Follow the 2015 MasterCard Memorial Cup at mastercardmemorialcup.ca.