The Barrie Colts are heading to the Eastern Conference final after eliminating the Oshawa Generals on Tuesday in Ontario Hockey League playoff action.
Mathias Niederberger made 36 saves in Game 4 as Barrie doubled up Oshawa 4-2 to sweep the best-of-seven second-round matchup.
The 20-year-old goaltender was steady for the Colts all series, but was at his best on the road in Games 3 and 4 as he turned away 71-of-73 combine shots. Niederberger finished the round with a 1.49 goals-against average and .959 save percentage to go along with his second-career post-season shutout, which came in Game 3.
Steven Beyers, Aaron Ekblad, Alex Yuill and Alex Lepowski scored for the Colts, who are a perfect 8-0 through two rounds of post-season play.
Colin Suellentrop and Scott Sabouring scored for the Generals, who were outscored 16-6 in the series. Daniel Althsuller stopped 24 shots in defeat.
Barrie went 0 for 5 on the power play, while Oshawa failed to score on its only chance with the man advantage.
The Generals played without leading scorer Scott Laughton after he was handed a five-game suspension for an illegal hit in Game 2 on Barrie’s Zach Hall, who sat out Game’s 3 and 4.
The Colts will face either the Belleville Bulls or the Sudbury Wolves in the East final. The Bulls lead the series 3-0 with Game 4 scheduled for Thursday in Sudbury.
Last time Barrie made the East final was the 2009-10 season when they defeated the Mississauga St. Michaels Majors in five games.
Elsewhere in the OHL, it was: Plymouth 6, Owen Sound 3; and Belleville 4, Sudbury 0.
At Oshawa, Ont., Beyers opened the scoring for the Colts on a breakaway 10:29 into the first period, taking away the momentum the Generals were looking for from an otherwise solid start.
Second-period goals by Ekblad and Yuill all but put the game away, the latter coming on a rare giveaway by Generals captain Boone Jenner.
Suellentrop broke Niederberger’s shutout on a screened shot late in the second period, but Lepkowski got that one back for the Colts 1:55 into the third.
Sabourin scored the game’s final goal with one minute remaining on a blast that beat Niederberger high.
Whalers 6, Attack 3
At Owen Sound, Ont. Vincent Trocheck scored three times and set up one more while Stefan Noesen had a goal and three assists as Plymouth doubled up the Attack to go ahead 2-1 in the second-round matchup.
Game 4 is scheduled for Wednesday in Owen Sound.
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Bulls 4 Wolves 0
At Sudbury, Ont., Malcolm Subban stopped 28 shots and Brendan Gaunce had two goals and an assist as the Bulls blanked the Wolves to take a 3-0 second-round series lead.
Sudbury will try and avoid elimination on Thursday when the Wolves host Belleville in Game 4.
