| durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, December 15, 2023 | 36 We Would Like To Thank Our Community For Their Business Support Over The Last 10 Years We want to acknowledge and share our appreciation for the efforts of all Nurses, Doctors, Personal Support Workers, Firefighters, Paramedics, Police Officers, Education Providers, Frontline Workers, Funeral Directors and Support Staff for their continued service during the pandemic. A Big Thank You TO ALL OF YOU this Holiday Season! To Say Thank-you and in appreciation, from December 15, 2022 to February 15, 2023, Save the HST on Insurance Funded Funeral Pre-Arrangements For more information, connect with us at: 905-440-3595 Email: info@destefanofuneralhomes.ca | www.destefanofuneralhomes.ca Visit us in person: 1289 Keith Ross Drive, Oshawa Ontario With wins in five straight games, the Oshawa Generals are just about the hottest team in the Ontario Hockey League right now. It wasn't that long ago, however, that the streaky Generals were the league's coldest team, dropping nine straight games. At that time Generals head coach Derek Laxdal said, "We are what we are," after the team had dropped its sixth straight, a 5-3 loss at home to Hamilton Nov. 13. But the Generals busted out in a huge 8-2 home win over the Peterborough Petes Nov. 25 and have been playing well since then. After dropping a 7-2 loss in Windsor on Dec. 1, the Generals have been unbeatable since wracking up wins in Sarnia, Hamilton, London and at home this past weekend to the Soo, who they crushed 7-2 Friday night, and against Barrie on Sunday winning 4-3 in a shootout. So, who are the Generals now? "Our goaltending's been better, our special teams are playing better; it's trending in the right direction. The kids are starting to develop," said Laxdal Monday. "All the guys are playing much better," he said. Overage forward Ryan Gagnier and Boston Bruins draft pick Brett Harrison have both been especially hot lately, with Gagnier notching four points in the 5-3 win in London last Tuesday on a goal and three assists and Harrison potting a hat-trick. "We're starting to see the Brett Harrison we want to see and that's been timely for our success too," said Laxdal, about Harrison, who had two assists against Barrie to extend his points streak to six games. Harrison has 16 goals in 22 games to lead the Generals in goalscoring. Gagnier, who had a goal and two assists against Barrie as well as the shootout winner, leads the Generals with 28 points. Laxdal calls Gagnier a guy "you can trust in every situation. He's a Swiss Army knife. He's one of the first penalty killers over the boards, he's on the net front on the first power play unit, he's a very well-rounded player for us." While defenceman and captain Lleyton Moore made the teddy bears rain down in the first period on "Teddy Bear toss" night Sunday when he scored, Moore was playing with the flu and didn't finish the game. "He shouldn't have played last night. He was a real warrior," said Laxdal. "He was throwing up between periods." Also out was defenceman Nikita Parfenyuk who is "week to week with an upper body injury." Forward Kimo Gruber won't return until after the Christmas Break as he, too, has an upper body injury. The Generals wind up their pre-Christmas Break schedule with a visit to first-place Ottawa on Friday night (7:30 p.m.) before hosting Sudbury Sunday at 6:05 p.m. After that they're off until Wednesday, Dec. 28, when Kingston visits Oshawa for a 7:05 p.m. game. Despite the hot streak, Oshawa is still in eighth place in the 10-team Eastern Conference with 25 points in 27 games. Eight teams make the playoffs. The Generals are a point behind seventh-place Hamilton. GENERALS ON HOT STREAK WITH FIVE STRAIGHT VICTORIES TIM KELLY tkelly@durhamregion.com OHL ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE TEAM ROARS BACK FROM NINE-GAME LOSING STREAK Oshawa Generals forward Brett Harrison is one of the hottest goalscorers in the Ontario Hockey League right now. He has a six-game point streak and has raised his season total to 16 goals in 22 games, including a hat-trick in a 5-3 win in London Dec. 6. Ian Goodall photo