Sunday May 3, 2015

The Oshawa Generals claimed their first Bobby Orr Trophy as Eastern Conference Champions on Sunday and will play for their first OHL title since 1997 following a 2-1 Game 6 victory over the North Bay Battalion. Highlights / Post-Game Comments

Matt Mistele scored the winning goal 9:47 into the second period of a tight defensive battle as the Generals avenged elimination at the hands of the Battalion in the Eastern Conference Final last spring with a 4-2 series victory.

Hunter Smith opened the scoring 6:04 into the first period with his seventh of the playoffs coming unassisted to take some of the buzz out of the North Bay Memorial Gardens early.

Generals coach D.J. Smith was pleased with how his club had another strong start in Game 6.

“I thought we came out especially calm,” he said. “We were in lanes and we played a defence first style all afternoon. Getting the early goal inspired some confidence and the rest of the game we did a good job of playing above the puck, competing hard, and we found a way to sneak one out.”

The Generals outshot the Battalion 10-6 in the opening frame before adding insurance to their one goal lead midway through the second as Los Angeles Kings prospect Matt Mistele found his eighth of the playoffs with assists to Anthony Cirelli and Michael Dal Colle.

North Bay opportunities were few and far between through the opening fourty minutes as the Generals played an effective road game and took away time and space through the neutral zone.

Entering the third with just nine shots to their credit, the Battalion made some headway offensively as Nick Moutrey beat Ken Appleby through the five hole on a poweprlay rebound in the slot at 12:36 as the seventh man at the Gardens raised the volume in the minutes to follow.

The Troops would outshoot Oshawa 12-7 in the third, but couldn’t find a way past Appleby the rest of the way as the closest chance came off the stick of Nick Paul in the final minutes on a puck that rolled through the crease and just wide of the goal.

The Oshawa Generals advance to the Rogers OHL Championship Series to face the Erie Otters. It’s their first appearance in the OHL Finals since 1997 when Marc Savard led the club to an OHL title.

“I don’t think it matters that it’s North Bay that we beat,” said D.J. Smith when asked if the victory tasted sweeter in light of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals demise at the hands of the Battalion.

“It’s just great to win the Eastern Conference. I still maintain that we got manhandled by a better team last spring. It’s nice to come back a year later with a lot of the same guys and find a way to win.”

Smith complimented several players in depth roles on the team for their performances throughout the series.

“I think the emergence of Stephen Desrocher in this series has been a big storyline. We had a strong performance from Mitchell Vande Sompel today with injuries to Carlisle and Petschenig. I also can’t say enough about a fourth line guy like Aidan Wallace who knows his role, does his job well, and doesn’t complain. These are character players.”

Battalion Head Coach Stan Butler was proud of his players despite the loss, commending their efforts all season long.

“We were the third team left standing in the Ontario Hockey League in a group where every other team had at least 15 more points than us in the regular season,” he said. “Ultimately our inability to score hurt us in this series. Last year we made the most of our breaks, and this year they made the most of theirs and that’s the difference.”

Generals forward Michael Dal Colle, who had a goal and three assists in the series, says the big turning point came in Wednesday’s 3-2 road victory in Game 4.

“After coming out flat in the first game and then splitting the next two in overtime, we really needed a boost,” he said. “We entered the third period of Game 4 tied 2-2 and Desrocher scored that big winner. We had a big performance from Kenny in net who stole us that game and it turned the series around for us.”

The Generals prepare for the Western Conference Champion Erie Otters in the Rogers OHL Championship Series as they look to continue writing their 2014-15 success story that includes a franchise best 51 wins, 108 points and 157 goals against during the regular season. An Eastern Conference title is the latest addition to those accolades.

Click here for the 2015 OHL Playoff Expanded Brackets

Watch all of the action online with OHL LIVE using your PC, mobile, or tablet device with new playoff and team packages available.

PHOTO: Justin Sweet/North Bay Battalion