The swirl of emotions from ecstasy to agony to ecstasy had to be the highlight of Ryan Gagnier's Oshawa Generals hockey career Tuesday night.

The team's heart-and-soul overage leader, who scored what he hoped was the game-winning goal over the powerhouse Ottawa 67’s with just 2:16 left on the clock in the third period, went from hero to goat to hero in the span of 2:46 on the clock (including 23 seconds of overtime) in an absolutely thrilling 5-4 Oshawa playoff overtime win over Ottawa.

So much happened involving Gagnier in that 2:39 span that it seemed the Generals forward was a part of all the significant events on the ice.

First, he scored that vital go-ahead goal, barely beating the superb Collin MacKenzie in the Ottawa net, as the puck went in off the post and barely crossed the line to make it 4-3 for Oshawa with 2:16 left in the third.

Then, with Ottawa having pulled MacKenzie and its best six skaters out in a desperate effort to tie the game, Gagnier had a chance to win it, but tried to score before inexplicably crossing the red line and iced the puck with just over a minute left.

With no change allowed — Gagnier is the best faceoff man the Generals have anyway — Gagnier then lost the draw to Ottawa’s best faceoff man, Vinzenz Rohrer — but heroically blocked a shot off his foot. The puck wound up back in the Oshawa end, and with just six seconds left, after Jack Beck got free at the side of the goal and was uncovered, the game was tied 4-4 as he scored over a diving Jacob Oster.

But that set the scene in overtime for a remarkable Gagnier redemption story. He just had to wait a difficult full intermission to make it happen.

Right off the first shift, Calum Ritchie, who had his best game of the series, flew up the ice, taking the puck deep and shooting it off MacKenzie. He then retrieved the puck and fed it in front right to a charging Gagnier, who put it home for the game-winner. That critical goal makes the series 2-1 for OHL-regular-season points champion Ottawa, which finished with 107 points to Oshawa’s eighth-placed 58 points.

The Gagnier-Cam Butler-Ritchie line, a new trio set up by Laxdal for this game, worked like magic, accounting for four of the five goals, with one on the power play.

“That line was excellent; they were very good all game long,” said Laxdal, who admitted he needs more from his other lines.

“Some other guys have to step up,” he said, hoping for more, especially from forwards Dylan Roobroeck and Stuart Rolofs.

“We talked about getting better every game; we got better in Game 2 (a tight 3-2 loss in Gatineau Sunday) and we were better last night (Game 3). At the end of the day, it’s about winning your home games. It’s about winning your first one; now we have to win our second one,” Laxdal said.

The Generals trio of Joseph Serpa-Beckett Sennecke-Rolofs played decently but will have to create more chances. Laxdal tinkered with his third line of Roobroeck, Luke Torrance and Ryan McIntyre, shifting McIntyre for the quicker, more skilled Matthew Buckley as the game wore on.

With the Generals down 3-2 after Butler’s second goal, the Generals Ty Petrou broke in alone and shot the puck at MacKenzie. Several Generals, including Buckley rushed the net and, in the scramble, with MacKenzie flailing away, the net came off just before Buckley put the puck in the net. The whistle had blown a split second before the puck went in. After a long review, it was determined Ottawa knocked the net off and the goal was allowed.

Butler got the Generals off to a great start with a goal just 1:19 into the game off assists from Ritchie and Ben Danford.

But Ottawa, showing why they were a dominant team all season and have won nine of the previous 10 games the teams have played before last night, started to pour on the pressure, dominating puck possession, taking advantage of turnovers, and not giving the Generals many opportunities. They had a 2-1 first-period lead and outshot the Generals 14-6 in the first period, 15-7 in the second. and 35-28 overall.

The 67’s built up a 3-1 lead on goals by Cooper Foster, Jack Beck (who had two goals in the game) and Will Gerrior, who has had an outstanding series with linemates Rohrer and Luca Pinelli.

After Ottawa beat the Generals 7-0 in Game 1, outshooting them 56-16 last Thursday in Gatineau, the teams have each scored seven goals and the shots on goal in the past two games are 68 for Ottawa and 59 for Oshawa. While Ottawa still has the majority of the puck possession and more offensive zone time and challenges, the Generals have closed the gap considerably in the past two games. Oster has been excellent in the past two games, giving Oshawa a chance to win with big saves.

Game 4 is Thursday in Oshawa at 7:05 p.m. Game 5 is in Gatineau Saturday at the Slush Puppie Centre at 2 p.m. If a Game 6 is necessary, it will be in Oshawa at the Tribute Community Centre on Sunday at 6:05 p.m. Should the series stretch to seven games, it will wind up in Ottawa at TD Place on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.

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