A dominant display on the power play proved the difference as the Oshawa Generals stunned Blake Montgomery and his London Knights teammates 4-2 in the opening game of their Championship series.
In front of 9,061 fans at Canada Life Place, the Generals capitalized on their plentiful opportunities with the man advantage, scoring three power-play goals and adding an empty-netter to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Coming into the series with a formidable 35.8 per cent success rate on the power play, the Generals lived up to their reputation. After a tight and scoreless first period, where both teams registered just four shots on goal, the deadlock was broken early in the second.
London's Noah Read skated into the Oshawa zone and found Rene Van Bommel heading to the net, who slotted home his first playoff goal to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.
However, Oshawa's potent power play soon clicked into gear. Andrew Gibson tied the game at 4:05 of the second period with the man advantage. London responded before the end of the frame, with Kasper Halttunen unleashing a wrist shot past Jacob Oster on a Knights power play to restore their 2-1 lead heading into the third period.
Gibson proved to be a thorn in London's side, tying the game once more at 8:18 of the final period, scoring with just three seconds remaining on a double-minor penalty.
The Generals then took the lead for the first time on a 4-on-3 power play, with Cal Ritchie walking into the slot and firing home his seventh playoff goal with just over three minutes remaining. Despite pulling their goaltender
Austin Elliott in the dying minutes, the Knights couldn't find the equalizer, and Matt Buckley sealed the victory for Oshawa with an empty-net goal, leaving Montgomery and the previously undefeated Knights to regroup ahead of game two.
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