Listen here, folks. Sometimes the puck just doesn’t bounce your way, and sometimes, you just don’t make it bounce your way. The Barrie Colts found that out the hard way Friday night. Right there on home ice at Sadlon Arena, in the opener of the OHL Eastern Conference Final, their offence just went dry. Couldn’t buy a goal for most of the night against a tough Oshawa Generals squad. That’s how you lose playoff games, plain and simple.
The Generals weren’t exactly lighting the lamp themselves for the first half of the game, but they stuck with it. You gotta give ’em credit. They play a hard-nosed game, especially that Oshawa Generals defence. They made life miserable for the Barrie shooters all night long. Finally, late in the second period, the dam broke. Took a video review, mind you, but Owen Griffin got one past Colts goalie Sam Hillebrandt. Play went on for over a minute before the buzzer went – turns out the puck snuck in earlier. That’s a tough one to swallow for the home crowd.
Then, just over three minutes later, bam! Matthew Buckley makes it 2-0. Another weird one, this. The net comes off just as the puck goes in. Hillebrandt seemed to knock it off himself, bumping the post. Refs waved it off initially, but after lookin’ at the tape, they changed their minds. Goal stands. Barrie even challenged, thinkin’ Buckley kicked it in, but no dice. Two goals, just like that, both needing the eye in the sky. Sometimes the breaks go against ya, but you gotta make your own luck too.
Down by two heading into the third, the Colts knew they had to push. They finally got one back, Anthony Romani finding the twine past the halfway mark. Cut the lead to 2-1, gave the fans at Sadlon Arena somethin’ to cheer about. You thought maybe, just maybe, they could claw their way back. But that Oshawa defence clamped down again. Barrie just couldn’t find the equalizer. Jacob Oster, the Generals’ goalie, stood tall, makin’ 27 saves when it counted. Hillebrandt played well for Barrie, makin’ 36 stops, but didn’t get the run support.
With time winding down and Hillebrandt pulled for the extra attacker, Oshawa’s Calum Ritchie sealed the deal. Picked up a loose puck right in the slot and fired it all the way down into the empty cage. 3-1 final. A tough pill to swallow for the Barrie Colts offence, goin’ cold at the worst possible time. They gotta figure things out fast, because Oshawa just stole home-ice advantage in this OHL Eastern Conference Final.
So, Oshawa leads the best-of-seven series 1-0. Game 2 is back at Sadlon Arena on Sunday night. The Colts better find their scoring touch, or this could be a short series. They gotta play with more jam, more grit, and find a way to beat Oster and that stingy Generals defence. No excuses in playoff hockey.
References:
Colts’ offence goes cold as Oshawa draws first blood in series – Orillia News
