Luca Marrelli wearing the 'A' for Oshawa this season [Tim Cornett/OHL Images].

The Oshawa Generals defeated the Brantford Bulldogs 4-1 in game six to advance to the Eastern Conference Final for the second consecutive year.

Brantford took the opening two games of the series, scoring a total of 13 goals across the two games. Oshawa took over on home ice and built up momentum as they won the next four games to take the series.

The lack of Chicago Blackhawks prospect Nick Lardis starting in game four certainly played a role in the outcome of the series. There are very few teams that could recover after scoring a 70-plus goal scorer.

Lardis was injured late in game three on a hit delivered by Nashville Predators prospect Andrew Gibson. The big defender, who represented Canada at the World Junior Championship this winter, received a two-game suspension for the hit.

Without Lardis, the Brantford offense felt lost at times during the series. After game two, the Bulldogs never scored more than two goals in a game. Credit for shutting down the potent Brantford offense should go to the Oshawa defense and Jacob Oster, who looked fantastic between the pipes for Oshawa throughout the series.

Rangers' Head Coach Named OHL Coach Of The Year Yesterday, the OHL announced that Kitchener Rangers' Head Coach Jussi Ahokas is the winner of the Matt Leyden Trophy, which is presented to the OHL Coach of the Year as voted by General Managers across the OHL.

The win on the road in game five gave the Generals the opportunity to finish the second-round series on home ice. They didn't take the opportunity for granted, outshooting the Bulldogs 15-4 in the opening period.

Luca Marrelli's thunderous one-timer on the power play brought Oshawa fans to their feet early in the game. The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect fed Winnipeg Jets prospect Colby Barlow for a tap-in to make it 2-0 before the end of the first.

Knights Sweep Otters To Advance To Western Conference Finals The seemingly unstoppable London Knights defeated the Erie Otters in overtime to sweep their second-round series and advance to the Western Conference Finals.

The Bulldogs outshot the Generals 18-14 for the rest of the game, however, the damage was already done. Owen Griffin and Marek Vanacker exchanged goals that came thirty seconds apart early in the second period to make the score 3-1 in favour of Oshawa.

Griffin, who is one of the top scorers for Oshawa in the postseason, scored a second goal in the dying moments of the series to seal the victory for Oshawa. He's eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft, and his performance in the playoffs is certainly raising his draft stock.

The Generals return to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year. Last season, they made it to the Finals before losing to the London Knights. This year, Oshawa has a deeper and more experienced roster than they did the last time they were in this position.

They will await the victor of game seven between Barrie and Kitchener.

Generals Advance To Eastern Conference Finals