Oshawa Generals win OHL Championship
Friday May 15, 2015
The Oshawa Generals are 2015 OHL Champions, capturing the 13th J. Ross Robertson Cup title in franchise history and first since 1997 after defeating the Erie Otters 6-2 in Game 5 of the Rogers OHL Championship Series.
Vancouver Canucks prospect Cole Cassels led the way with four assists while big wingers Hunter Smith and Michael McCarron had a goal and an assist each in front of 6,125 at the General Motors Centre.
McCarron’s powerplay goal 2:56 into the second period was the eventual winner as the Generals scored three consecutive goals in the second period to prompt Erie coach Kris Knoblauch to make a change in the crease.
The Otters made a comeback attempt in the latter half of the second, but came up short as the Generals skated to a 6-2 win behind third period markers from Bradley Latour and Aidan Wallace.
Erie Otters standout Connor McDavid was held off the scoresheet for just the second time in the postseason but led the OHL Playoffs in scoring with 21 goals, 28 assists and 49 points in 20 games. McDavid’s sensational run earned him the Wayne Gretzky ’99’ Award given to the Most Valuable Player in the OHL Playoffs.
McDavid’s 49 points are the most in a postseason since 1999 when Justin Papineau tied Jason Dawe’s 1993 OHL record of 51.
Oshawa goaltender Ken Appleby provided 30 saves in goal for his club, improving to 16-4-1 in the playoffs with a 2.24 goals against-average and a .922 save percentage.
“We’ve been through it all together this season,” said the 6’4″, 205Ib goaltender. “This group of guys continues to amaze me. We stuck to the plan in this series. The guys in front of me and the fans in this building have been outstanding all season.”
With the win, the Generals punch their ticket to the 2015 MasterCard Memorial Cup in Quebec City, QC that gets underway on Friday May 22.
The Generals are the second CHL club to achieve supremacy after the Kelowna Rockets defeated the Brandon Wheat Kings to win the WHL Championship on Wednesday.