Brantford And Oshawa Become First Eastern Conference Teams To Clinch Playoff Spots

Oshawa and Brantford became the first Eastern Conference teams to clinch playoff spots. While many expected Oshawa to be one of the top teams this year, Brantford comes as a bit of a surprise.

Both teams entered their respective games today with identical conditions under which they could clinch playoff berths.

For Oshawa, there were two possible conditions for them to clinch heading into their game against Erie. If they won the game, they would guarantee a playoff spot. Alternatively, an Ottawa loss to North Bay would also guarantee the team a spot.

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For Brantford, the same two options would result in the team clinching a playoff spot. A win against Sault Ste. Marie, or a 67's loss would guarantee their playoff spot.

Oshawa ended up defeating Erie 2-1 with Luca Marrelli sealing the victory in overtime. The game was close from beginning to end with both goaltenders making more than 30 saves.

Brantford took down the Greyhounds in a barnburner of a game that ended up 8-6 in favor of the home team.

The end of the game was wild featuring a pair of shorthanded goals scored 11 seconds apart by the Greyhounds. Ultimately, the Bulldogs sealed the win on a strange play where Greyhounds' goaltender Noah Tegelaar mishandled a puck behind his own goal.

Though both teams managed to pick up the required wins to clinch their respective playoff spots, they were ultimately unnecessary.

Before either of the games could finish, the North Bay Battalion defeated the Ottawa 67s 3-2 in Ottawa meaning that regardless of the outcomes of the other two games, Brantford and Oshawa had clinched playoff spots.

Exiting Family Day, the two teams are deadlocked at 73 points apiece at the top of the Eastern Conference. However, Brantford gets the top spot because they have already won the season series against the Generals.

The division rivals have met on seven occasions this season, with the Bulldogs winning five of those games. The Bulldogs won the series in spectacular fashion by sweeping Oshawa in a pair of games on back-to-back nights in the middle of January.

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Coming into the season it seemed like Oshawa would be one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference against this year. Last year's team took the top spot and went all the way to the finals of the OHL playoffs where they were swept by London.

Having retained most of their team and added new talent including Winnipeg Jets' prospect Colby Barlow and Nashville Predators' prospect Andrew Gibson the Generals look like contenders.

Brantford is a bit more of a surprise. While they certainly had solid pieces like Chicago Blackhawks' prospect Nick Lardis and former OHL Rookie of the Year Jake O'Brien, they were not a guaranteed winner.

Adding Buffalo Sabres prospect Ryerson Leenders in the offseason certainly strengthened the team between the pipes, but they started the year a bit flat. Their work since the end of December is what has put them in this position.

Oshawa and Brantford will meet one more time before the playoffs this year on Feb. 28. While the game won't determine the winner of the season series, it will be an opportunity to see two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference go head to head.