LAST GAME RECAP

More than 5,800 people took in a Family Day thriller that saw 17 goals scored between the two teams, with the Generals outpacing the IceDogs by a final score of 10-7.

With two teams who have struggled this season, it was clear the game could have gone one of two ways, a sloppy low-scoring snoozefest, or what we saw on Monday, back-and-forth offense met with little defense leading to 17 goals.

The first period saw both teams looking to get a feel for one another, as it’s only their second game against each other this season. Both teams traded chances and goals for the first 20 minutes. Kimo Gruber opened the scoring with his third of the season before IceDogs leading scorer Zachary Lavoie tied the game just two minutes later. Some time passed before another goal would be scored, but it was Stuart Rolofs bringing the Generals’ faithful back to their feet with his 25th of the year. Oshawa’s lead would be short-lived once again when Lavoie tied the game with his second of the afternoon.

The second period saw the scoring only hit another gear. It was Niagara getting on the board first in the middle frame, thanks to rookie Kevin He’s 18th of the season. 30 seconds after falling behind 3-2, Luca D’Amato brought the Generals even once again with his 5th of the year. Once again, Lavoie would give Niagara another lead, this time 4-3, scoring his third of the game and 23rd of the season.

Oshawa began to pour it onto the IceDogs from this point on.

Throughout the end of the second period, and the beginning of the third period, the Generals scored five unanswered goals, breaking through the doors to an 8-4 lead. Goals from Ryder McIntyre, Luca Marrelli, Beckett Sennecke, Dyland Roobroeck, and Cameron Butler made it eight different goal scorers for Oshawa. Despite the five-goal deficit, the IceDogs didn’t go away.

In less than five minutes, Niagara went off for three-straight goals of their own off the sticks of He, former General Daniel Michaud, and Andrew LebLanc. With the score a much-closer 8-7, Oshawa turned the offense back on and sealed the victory after Sennecke scored his second of the game, perfectly placed over the shoulder of Owen Flores. Rolofs would add an empty-netter, pushing Oshawa to double digits on the score clock.

With the 10-7 victory, Oshawa leapfrogged both the Sudbury Wolves and Kingston Frontenacs for 7th place in the Eastern Conference. Their next action is this Friday against their rival Peterborough Petes, on Oshawa’s 3rd Annual Pride Night.