Rogers OHL Championship Series Preview
Wednesday May 6, 2015
By Josh Sweetland/OHL
OSHAWA GENERALS (51-11-2-4, 1st Eastern Conference) vs. ERIE OTTERS (50-14-2-2, 2nd Western Conference) – #OSHvsER
The 2015 Rogers OHL Championship Series features two highly accomplished teams with contrasting styles and strengths pitted against one another in a battle for the J. Ross Robertson Cup.
A big, strong, rugged Oshawa Generals group prepares to square off with an Erie Otters club that silenced their doubters, exemplifying skill and speed in a 4-2 Western Conference Final series victory over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds to win the Wayne Gretzky Trophy.
They say defence wins championships. That mantra will be put to the test in this series as the Generals, who surrendered a franchise-low 157 goals this season, boasted the OHL’s best penalty kill, a consistent presence in the crease and some of the biggest, most physical players in the league.
The Generals have home ice to begin the series after finishing first in the Eastern Conference with a 51-11-2-4 record. They eliminated the Peterborough Petes, Niagara IceDogs and most recently, the North Bay Battalion to win the Bobby Orr Trophy as Eastern Conference Champions.
The Generals are in the hunt for their first Robertson Cup title since 1997 and 13th in franchise history.
With the series still two days away, Generals coach D.J. Smith has already fielded questions about his club’s preparation for Connor McDavid and the potent Otters attack.
“He’s the best junior player in the world for a reason,” said Smith, whose Generals defeated the Otters twice this season while McDavid was out of the lineup. “You’re not going to be able to keep him completely off the board, we’ve just got to try and contain him. All five guys on the ice need to be aware of when he is out there.”
Generals captain Josh Brown echoed Smith’s sentiments, and says his team is up to the challenge.
“This is what the playoffs are all about. You always want to put yourself up against the best players and toughest challenges. We’re excited to compete for a championship.”
Several players have stepped up for Oshawa throughout the playoffs, including defenceman Stephen Desrocher who emerged to help power the team offensively in the series with two goals, two assists and four points in the absence of injured rearguards Chris Carlisle and Will Petschenig.
While Smith said Carlisle will return for the Championship Series, Petschenig will be sidelined for the remainder of the year with a broken arm. His absence will result in more minutes for Desrocher and sophomore blueliner Mitchell Vande Sompel.
Oshawa’s offensive success has come by committee. New York Islanders first round pick Michael Dal Colle leads the club in scoring with seven goals, 18 assists and 25 points, but Generals coach D.J. Smith is quick to emphasize that the club has three dangerous lines that are all capable of scoring. Six different Generals forwards have at least six postseason goals, with veterans Matt Mistele, Michael McCarron, Hunter Smith and Cole Cassels all making their mark.
In the crease, Oshawa goaltender Ken Appleby was a big reason for the Generals’ success against the Battalion. The North Bay native bounced back from a shortened outing in Game One’s 6-1 loss to go 4-0-0-1 with a 1.16 goals against-average and a .960 save percentage in the rest of the series.
The Generals prepare to face an Otters squad that outgunned the high octane offense of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, excelling on the powerplay to the tune of 10-for-21 in the series.
While it’s clear that Oshawa is looked at as the more defensively oriented team in the series, they’ve shown that they can successfully adapt to different situations and varying opponents this year. The Generals have only been outshot 10 times in their 84 games over the season and playoffs combined, but have played to a 9-1 record in those contests.
The Otters counter Oshawa’s physicality and size with a dangerous offensive attack headlined by the OHL’s best powerplay. Erie’s man advantage operated at a 31.2% clip this season, the highest efficiency rate since the OHL began recording powerplay percentages in 1997-98.
A catalyst for that powerplay success, Connor McDavid has been as advertised in the OHL Playoffs, equaling Cory Pecker’s 2002 Otters franchise record with 42 points in a postseason. The standout centreman is in the midst of a 19-game point streak spanning the end of the regular season and entire postseason. His 19 goals, 23 assists and 42 points place him nine points shy of the OHL playoff points record of 51 set by Justin Papineau (Belleville, 1999) and Jason Dawe (Peterborough, 1993). He is eight goals behind Cameron Mann’s 1997 record of 27 goals in a postseason.
“You usually don’t get two chances to go deep in the playoffs like this,” said McDavid, whose Otters lost in the Western Conference Final to the eventual OHL Champion Guelph Storm last spring. “We’re fortunate to have gotten past Sault Ste. Marie and be here to battle Oshawa for a championship.”
Otters Head Coach Kris Knoblauch acknowledges the contrasting styles of Sault Ste. Marie and Oshawa, and expects a different tone in this series.
“The styles are undoubtedly different,” he said. “Oshawa is a very strong, powerful team that places a lot of emphasis and pride in their defensive game. It’s going to be a challenge for us, but we’re fortunate enough to have some special players in our lineup that may be able to create some opportunities. We just need to be patient and make the most of the opportunities we get.”
While McDavid is often the big ticket when the Otters come to town, fellow draft eligible winger Dylan Strome was the OHL’s scoring leader this past season, posting 45 goals, 84 assists and 129 points in 68 games. Scoring threats abound on an Otters roster that also includes OHL Rookie of the Year Alex DeBrincat and Buffalo Sabres prospect Nick Baptiste.
Vancouver Canucks draftee Kyle Pettit, who hasn’t played since March 14, is expected to make his playoff debut sometime during the Championship Series, an addition that would give the Otters a considerable boost in the faceoff circle and an added presence on the penalty kill.
Erie’s unsung blueline received a shot in the arm last week as big defender Kurtis MacDermid returned to the lineup. He joins a dependable group that includes Darren Raddysh, Travis Dermott and Troy Donnay who have logged big minutes in front of goaltender Devin Williams throughout the playoffs.
The Otters have the city of Erie struck with playoff fever as they try and bring a Robertson Cup back to the Flagship City for the first time since 2002.
The Rogers OHL Championship Series gets underway on Friday as the puck drops on Game 1 at 7:35pm in Oshawa.
The Generals and Otters go head-to-head for a spot in the 97th MasterCard Memorial Cup that gets underway on Thursday May 21 in Quebec City, QC.
Season Series: Generals won season series 2-0-0-0
Playoff History: This marks the first time that the Generals and Otters have met in the postseason.
#OSHvsER
Click here for the 2015 OHL Playoff Expanded Brackets
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