The Oshawa Generals' fourth line came up big in their Tuesday showdown against the Kitchener Rangers, in a tight contest between two of the best teams in the OHL.
There was only one game on the OHL schedule on Tuesday, Feb. 12, and it was a clash between one of the best teams in the east and one of the best teams in the west.
The Oshawa Generals charged into the vibrant atmosphere of the Aud, ready to take on the Kitchener Rangers. With a game featuring several players already drafted into the NHL, it was the unassuming fourth line for Oshawa that stole the spotlight.
These two teams faced off earlier in the year in Oshawa. Colorado Avalanche prospect Calum Ritchie was the star of the show in that game, scoring twice and recording three points in the Generals' 3-2 win.
Oshawa's fourth line consisting of Brooks Rogowski, Ethan Toms, and Harrison Franssen was out there for a rare offensive zone faceoff three minutes into the first period.
After a cleanly won draw by Rogowski, Ben Danford's shot from the point found Franssen's stick in the slot, where he quickly spun and threw the puck on net, squeaking past Jackson Parson's fivehole to give the Gens an early 1-0 lead.
Later in the period, Kitchener's towering 6-foot-6 forward Trent Swick — a Vegas Golden Knights prospect — busted down the left wing on a 2-on-1 and sniped it past Jacob Oster for his first of two on the night.
Anaheim Ducks' third overall pick Beckett Sennecke one-timed the pass from Calum Ritchie home to score his team-leading 31st of the year and regain Oshawa's lead.
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Then, in the second frame, the fourth line got back in on the action.
As they initiated the cycle, Franssen bumped the puck to Toms while he and Rogowski headed to the front of the net and battled for positioning.
Toms smartly throws the puck on net, which Parsons stops, but the puck squeaks past him. Rookie forward Rogowski quickly pounces on the puck as it stops before the goal line and scores his seventh of the season.
Rogowski was drafted 38th overall in the second round of this past OHL draft. He has played a pivotal role in the team's bottom six this season and looks to have a promising junior career on the horizon. He finished the game with two points and the game's first star.
His linemate Franssen was picked later in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection, 171st overall in the ninth round. The London, Ontario native came in and had to quickly get acclimated with the OHL and help Oshawa on their run to the OHL Finals last season. He too finished with a goal and an assist and was the game's third star.
With Oshawa leading 3-1 heading into the third, you knew the home team wasn't going to go down easy.
The Rangers got a fortunate bounce off Chicago Blackhawks prospect Jack Pridham's shot off the rush. It rang off the glass and fell right in front of Colorado Avalanche prospect Christian Humphreys, who swiftly batted the puck in off of Jacob Oster to make it 3-2.
Then, with under two minutes left in the game and the extra attacker on the ice, Swick redirects Pridham's one-time pass to push this extremely tight game into overtime.
In the extra frame, Kitchener had more opportunities to end the game. However, overage Generals forward Luke Torrance, who rang a shot off the post less than 20 seconds into the game, scored the game-winner, as Oshawa took down the Rangers for the second time this year by one goal.
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