North Bay dominated Game 6, defeating Oshawa 8-1. Owen Van Steensel with four points and Mike McIvor with 35 saves
North Bay dominated Game 6, defeating Oshawa 8-1. Owen Van Steensel with four points and Mike McIvor with 35 saves
The OHL Eastern Conference Finals looked like it was going to be a short series after Oshawa won the first three games and North Bay struggling to score. Games 4 and 5 needed overtime. Sandis Vilmanis was the hero in Game 4 and Ty Nelson in Game 5.
After only scoring a combined four goals in Games 1, 2, & 3, the Battalion have found their groove offensively, putting up back-to-back five spots on the Generals and Goaltender of the Year Jacob Oster.
Part of the offensive outburst in the last two games was due to North Bay getting their leading scorer Anthony Romani back from injury. Even though he scored two goals in Game 5, he left the game with an injury and did not suit up for this one.
Ironically enough on the other side, the Generals have been missing their best shutdown defenseman Connor Punnett for the last two games. Possibly a key reason why North Bay's offense has come alive. Punnett took warmups but ultimately was not healthy enough to play. And Oshawa clearly missed him and his veteran leadership in Game 6.
Dalyn Wakely had the crowd cheering early putting his team up 1-0 within the first minute. Connor Lockhart later in the period while on the forecheck threw Ty Nelson into the boards and was maybe lucky only to get a two-minute penalty on the play. On the ensuing powerplay for North Bay, Sandis Vilmanis roofs his backhand while on his knees over the shoulder of Jacob Oster.
Oster's name started to echo throughout the North Bay Memorial Gardens as the home crowd jeered him. The Troops added a couple more goals before the end of the first. Former Toronto Jr. Canadien Brice Cooke found space at the top of the faceoff circle to let off his wrister. Then Owen Van Steensel undressed Gens defenseman Lucas Rodriguez off the rush to make it 4-0 heading into the intermission.
Van Steensel added another goal on the powerplay in the second and was elected the first star of the game, deservedly so, after a three-point first period and a four-point game.
As expected, Oshawa came out in the second period with more intensity and pace in their game. On an early 4-on-3 powerplay, Luca Marrelli set up Lockhart who had a wide-open net. Or so he thought. Mike McIvor with a powerful push off his left leg came across and robbed him to keep it a 4-0 game.
McIvor and North Bay withstood the flurry of chances by Oshawa early in the second before captain Liam Arnsby chased Jacob Oster out of the net on the Battalion's fifth goal. Backup goaltender Noah Bender made his OHL playoffs debut in relief of Oster.
Despite the lopsided score, McIvor was the headline in the second period, and if it wasn't for him Oshawa could've easily had two or three goals. Ben Danford finally solved him late in the second, which would be the only goal he surrendered. McIvor made 35 saves and looked unbeatable at times in this game.
Justin Ertel and Jacob Therrien added a couple more goals for North Bay in the third period as they put a bow on what was a dominant performance, shelling Oshawa 8-1.
All the pressure now appears to be on the Oshawa Generals as they have blown a 3-0 series lead and are struggling to contain North Bay's high-flying offense.
These two teams won't have time to rest as Game 7 goes down Monday night in Oshawa, with the winner capturing the Bobby Orr Trophy, and a date in the OHL Finals against the London Knights.