THE GAME DAY GAZETTE

What looked to be a quick four and out after a weekend in Gatineau, the Oshawa Generals took to their home ice at the Tribute Communities Centre and showed the top-seeded 67’s they aren’t done yet.

A massive 5-4 OT win on Tuesday sent the Ottawa 67’s back to their hotel shaking their heads and sent the Generals home down just one game in the series instead of three.

Thursday night poses as a pivotal game, giving the Generals the chance to tie the series, guaranteeing a Game 6 on Sunday, April 9th, or the 67’s a chance to take a stranglehold 3-1 lead on the series. Oshawa has proved they won’t be rolled over in this best-of-seven series, and they’ll need all of GensNation to fill the TCC on Thursday to help push them over the line and tie the series. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05.

Last Meeting:

Tuesday night was Oshawa’s best game of the series to date, building off their strong effort in Game 2. The Generals jumped out to their first lead of the series just 1:19 into the game, thanks to Cameron Butler’s first of the postseason. The league-best 67’s flexed their muscle though and scored three unanswered to take a 3-1 lead into the third period. Just 20 minutes out from falling behind 3-0 in the series, Oshawa found another gear. First, Cameron Butler scored his second of the game, before Matthew Buckley had a review overturned in his favour to tie the game. Ryan Gagnier scored his first of the series to give the Generals a 4-3 lead. A heartbreaker with five seconds left from Jack Beck tied the game for the 67’s before Gagnier sent the Gens’ faithful home happy just 23 seconds into overtime.

Players To Watch

Cameron Butler Jack Beck Ryan Gagnier

What else can be said about Gagnier that hasn’t already? Recently voted the team’s MVP and put forth as the Generals’ nominee for the OHL’s Red Tilson Most Outstanding Player award, Gagnier has found his groove in the playoffs. Gagnier scored twice in Tuesday’s Game 3, including the thrilling overtime winner. Known around the OHL as one of the hardest-working players on the ice, Gagnier’s production will be key if the Generals tie the series on Thursday night.

A thorn in the side of both the Ottawa 67’s and their fans, Cameron Butler has found his cutting edge in this opening round of the playoffs. In Gatineau, Butler may have found himself in the box more than he’d like, but in Game 3 at home, Butler avoided the penalty box and immediately made a positive impact on the scoresheet. The Blue Jackets prospect gave the Generals their first lead of the series and brought them back within one before the third period was half over. For Oshawa to replicate their efforts in Game 4, it’s clear that Butler is more important on the ice than in the box.

While the Generals were able to keep Logan Morrison from putting the puck in the net, the deeper-than-ever 67’s lineup proved that stopping one player won’t be enough. Jack Beck scored two goals of his own on Tuesday night, opening his scoring campaign in the 2023 playoffs. First, he gave Ottawa the 2-1 lead late in the first period before he also tied the game with just five seconds left in the game. Oshawa did a good job of limiting some of Ottawa’s top forwards on Tuesday, but it might be impossible to stop all of them, and Jack Beck proved that with his performance.

Goalies