CHL Playoff Roundup: Generals take two-game lead

The Oshawa Generals made sure they put home-ice advantage in the Ontario Hockey League final to good use.

After winning the series opener on Friday night, the Generals beat the Erie Otters 5-1 on Saturday night to take a 2-0 series lead as the series shifts to Erie for games three and four.

Tied at one, the Generals scored four times in the third period to pick up the victory.

Generals goaltender Ken Appleby stopped 32 shots while Matt Mistele scored twice to pace Oshawa. Tobias Lindberg added a goal and an assist while Bradley Latour and Michael Dal Colle chipped in with a pair of assists each. Cole Cassels and Anthony Cirelli also scored.

“(Erie) really had a good push there, especially in the third period and Kenny found a way to make those saves,” Oshawa Coach D.J. Smith said in a press conference following the game. “The guys fed off the crowd from those saves and found a way to score some timely goals.”

Nick Betz had the lone goal for the Otters in the loss.

“We had a lot more jump and our execution was a lot better,” Otters Coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters following the game. “The story was missed opportunities by us. We had plenty of opportunities to get the lead but (Oshawa’s) special teams were better than ours. They had two power play goals and we weren’t able to capitalize on any. That hurt on us.”

Game three is Monday night in Erie.

In the Western Hockey League, Nick Merkley’s shorthanded goal at 10:16 of the third period was the game winner as the Kelowna Rockets beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 4-3 in game two of the WHL final.

Merkley had a pair of goals and an assist for Kelowna while Rourke Chartier added a goal and an assists. Gage Quinney and Leon Draisaitl also scored. Rockets goaltender Jackson Whistle stopped 38 shots.

Peter Quenneville scored a pair of goals for Brandon while Tim McGauley also scored.

Game three is Monday night in Kelowna with the Rockets holding a 2-0 series lead.

The Quebec League final between the Quebec Remparts and Rimouski Oceanic continues on Sunday afternoon. The Remparts lead the series 2-0 heading into Sunday’s third game.

Both teams have clinched spots in the 2015 MasterCard Memorial Cup as Quebec is the host team. The Memorial Cup kicks off on May 22.