By Wally Donaldson
The Oshawa Express
Clawing and scratching for that final Ontario Hockey League (OHL) playoff berth, Generals skipper Chris DePiero went into last weekend in a positive, yet skeptical mode.
They are in dire need of points and with three games in as many nights, even DePiero knew he needed to get as much as possible out of his troops in order to exceed the pace of any one of the two teams in front - the Sudbury Wolves and Niagara IceDogs – if they wish to prolong their season.
For any other part of the campaign, compiling four of a possible six points is deemed a highly successful venture.
Their ability to sweep a home-and-home series against the Kingston Frontenacs was indeed an accomplishment.
However, with little left in the tank, the Generals succumbed to a more tenacious Peterborough Petes by a 6-2 count on Sunday before 4,311 spectators at the GM Centre.
That one hurt.
Generals find themselves three points back of the Wolves, who surprised the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors 2-1 earlier in the day, in a bid for a post-season bid. The IceDogs, meanwhile, bolted to a four-point lead following a 3-1 victory over the Brampton Battalion.
Hence, the nail-biting taking place inside the Oshawa dressing room.
And now it’s on the road for three outings to finish out the regular schedule, beginning tonight in Belleville against the Bulls.
Petes pretty well assured themselves a playoff spot with the win in Oshawa as they did most of their damage in the final period after sporting a 2-0 lead heading into the final frame.
“They capitalized on the chances they got and we had trouble generating chances,” said DePiero. “We talked about (three straight games) as a staff and we figured it would be important to get that jump (on the Petes). We did look tired at times.”
They had the jump against the Frontenacs earlier, scoring a 5-2 win Friday in Kingston before relying on an overtime goal by the hot hands of Christian Thomas one night later in Oshawa to secure a 3-2 victory.
After tonight’s tilt, the Generals close out the regular season in Ottawa Friday night and Peterborough Saturday evening.
“I don’t want to jinx things, but we gave up more goals against Belleville in our building (this season) than (at the Yardmen Arena). We won tight games in Belleville, so we have to play a certain style and admittedly, a little more desperate too,” adds DePiero.
Petes got on the board quickly with Austin Watson connecting for the only goal of the opening period. Another early goal in the middle stanza put the Generals back on their heels when Pat Daley scored on a goalmouth scramble. Justin Larson, Watson, with his second of the night, and Jeff Braithwaite vaulted the Petes to a 5-0 lead.
Thomas, with his 38th goal of the season and no doubt focused on achieving the 40-goal plateau with three games left, broke the goose egg. Alain Berger made Petes goalie Jason Missiaen look oh, so ordinary with a snap shot to the glove side just inside the blueline to round out the scoring.
Sandwiched between the Oshawa markers was Matt Puempel’s redirection past Oshawa netminder Kevin Bailie.
DePiero did what he could prior to the weekend outings, including giving the boys a day off and a light practice schedule. The thought process was, of course, to keep them fresh for game conditions.
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