Guelph Storm slip by Sarnia Sting in shootout
GUELPH – Braeden Bowman struck for a goal on the first shot of a shootout and it stood as the winning goal as the Storm edged the Sarnia Sting 7-6 in OHL play Friday night at the Sleeman Centre.
That goal allowed the Storm to come from behind to win a game they had led by two goals midway through the first period. It was also the second consecutive seven-goal outing by the locals.
Guelph Storm 7 Sarnia Sting 6 (SO)
Three goals in a span of just under five minutes in the first period turned an early one-goal lead by the Sting into a two-goal advantage for the Storm. However, Sarnia scored a pair of goals later in the period to leave the score tied 3-3 at the end of the first period.
The teams scored once each in the second, the Storm scoring the first of those two goals, before the Sting added two more goals to take a 6-4 lead eight minutes into the third period.
That score stood until Bowman cut the gap to a goal with a power-play marker with 2:41 to go in regulation time and Max Namestnikov tied it with a goal against his former team with 1:29 to go.
Bowman and Namestnikov scored twice each in regulation time for the Storm while single goals were netted by Cam Allen and Cooper Walker. Bowman and Matthew Poitras each had three assists while Michael Buchinger had two and Allen and Jake Karabela each had one.
Bowman has two goals and seven assists in his last three games while Namestnikov has scored in each of his last five games, collecting eight goals (no assists) in that span. He has 16 goals and four assists in his last 14 games.
Brendan Anderson, Sasha Pastujov, Ryan Mast, Marko Sikic, Nolan Dillingham and Luca Del Bel Belluz scored single goals for Sarnia while Del Bel Belluz and Ethan Del Mastro each had two assists. Getting one assist apiece were Lukas Fischer, Easton Wainwright, Pastujov, Marcus Limpar-Lantz and Ty Voit.
The Storm were outshot 34-28, mainly due to Sarnia’s 6-1 advantage in a scoreless overtime. Guelph went 2-for-4 on its power play while the Sting went 1-for-5.
Brayden Gillespie had 28 saves for the Storm while Sarnia’s Benjamin Gaudreau had 22.
The Storm are sixth in the Western Conference with four games to go, three on the road, in their regular season. They can mathematically finish anywhere from fourth to eight in the conference.
The Storm are at 32-27-4-1 and are six points behind the fourth-place Saginaw Spirit (35-24-3-2), two behind the fifth-place Flint Firebirds (33-27-4-1), one point ahead of the seventh-place Owen Sound Attack (31-26-5-1) and four ahead of the eighth-place Kitchener Rangers (30-28-5-0).
Owen Sound and Kitchener each have a game in hand on the Storm who have a game in hand on Flint and have played the same number of games as Saginaw.
The eight playoff participants in the conference have been decided, but no first-round pairings have been decided.
The Storm are to play the 10th-place Erie Otters (20-37-2-5) at the Erie Insurance Arena Saturday at 7 p.m.
Next week the Storm are to play the first-place Windsor Spitfires (42-16-4-2) Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. at Windsor’s WFCU Centre, host Erie Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Sleeman Centre and then finish the regular season with a game against the Spirit at Saginaw’s Dow Event Center Saturday at 7:05 p.m.
- Guelph Sports Journal
Guelph Storm slip by Sarnia Sting in shootout
GUELPH – Braeden Bowman struck for a goal on the first shot of a shootout and it stood as the winning goal as the Storm edged the Sarnia Sting 7-6 in OHL play Friday night at the Sleeman Centre.
That goal allowed the Storm to come from behind to win a game they had led by two goals midway through the first period. It was also the second consecutive seven-goal outing by the locals.
Guelph Storm 7
Sarnia Sting 6 (SO)
Three goals in a span of just under five minutes in the first period turned an early one-goal lead by the Sting into a two-goal advantage for the Storm. However, Sarnia scored a pair of goals later in the period to leave the score tied 3-3 at the end of the first period.
The teams scored once each in the second, the Storm scoring the first of those two goals, before the Sting added two more goals to take a 6-4 lead eight minutes into the third period.
That score stood until Bowman cut the gap to a goal with a power-play marker with 2:41 to go in regulation time and Max Namestnikov tied it with a goal against his former team with 1:29 to go.
Bowman and Namestnikov scored twice each in regulation time for the Storm while single goals were netted by Cam Allen and Cooper Walker. Bowman and Matthew Poitras each had three assists while Michael Buchinger had two and Allen and Jake Karabela each had one.
Bowman has two goals and seven assists in his last three games while Namestnikov has scored in each of his last five games, collecting eight goals (no assists) in that span. He has 16 goals and four assists in his last 14 games.
Brendan Anderson, Sasha Pastujov, Ryan Mast, Marko Sikic, Nolan Dillingham and Luca Del Bel Belluz scored single goals for Sarnia while Del Bel Belluz and Ethan Del Mastro each had two assists. Getting one assist apiece were Lukas Fischer, Easton Wainwright, Pastujov, Marcus Limpar-Lantz and Ty Voit.
The Storm were outshot 34-28, mainly due to Sarnia’s 6-1 advantage in a scoreless overtime. Guelph went 2-for-4 on its power play while the Sting went 1-for-5.
Brayden Gillespie had 28 saves for the Storm while Sarnia’s Benjamin Gaudreau had 22.
The Storm are sixth in the Western Conference with four games to go, three on the road, in their regular season. They can mathematically finish anywhere from fourth to eight in the conference.
The Storm are at 32-27-4-1 and are six points behind the fourth-place Saginaw Spirit (35-24-3-2), two behind the fifth-place Flint Firebirds (33-27-4-1), one point ahead of the seventh-place Owen Sound Attack (31-26-5-1) and four ahead of the eighth-place Kitchener Rangers (30-28-5-0).
Owen Sound and Kitchener each have a game in hand on the Storm who have a game in hand on Flint and have played the same number of games as Saginaw.
The eight playoff participants in the conference have been decided, but no first-round pairings have been decided.
The Storm are to play the 10th-place Erie Otters (20-37-2-5) at the Erie Insurance Arena Saturday at 7 p.m.
Next week the Storm are to play the first-place Windsor Spitfires (42-16-4-2) Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. at Windsor’s WFCU Centre, host Erie Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Sleeman Centre and then finish the regular season with a game against the Spirit at Saginaw’s Dow Event Center Saturday at 7:05 p.m.
- Guelph Sports Journal