Storm to start playoffs in Soo Thursday
GUELPH – The Guelph Storm and Soo Greyhounds are to begin their OHL Western Conference quarter-final playoff series Thursday at Sault Ste. Marie’s GFL Memorial Gardens.
The Greyhounds finished fourth in the conference at 39-22-6-1 while the Storm was fifth at 36-24-5-3.
Game 2 is to go in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Saturday before the series shifts to the Sleeman Centre for Game 3 April 26 and Game 4 April 28.
Game 5 is slated to go April 30 at Sault Ste. Marie while Game 6 is scheduled for May 2 at the Sleeman Centre.
If the series goes its seven-game limit, Game 7 is to be played May 4 at Sault Ste. Marie.
Games 5, 6 and 7 will only be played if they’re needed.
The Storm enter the playoffs on a four-game winning streak and are 7-2-0-1 in their last 10 games while the Greyhounds lost 6-4 to the Flint Firebirds Saturday to complete their regular season that put an end to a six-game winning streak. Soo is 6-4-0-0 in its last 10 games.
The Storm and Greyhounds met six times during the regular season and Soo won four of them. However, the teams haven’t played each other since Jan. 21
The Greyhounds won 4-2 at the Sleeman Centre both on Oct. 15 and Jan. 21, 9-4 at Sault Ste. Marie Nov. 5 and 7-2 at home Dec. 3.
The Storm won 4-1 at home Oct. 30 and 6-5 at Sault Ste. Marie Nov. 6.
Guelph had 10 skaters suit up for all six games while Soo had 12.
Sasha Pastujov had seven points (3 goals-4 assists) in those games for the Storm while Matthew Poitras had six (1-5) and Daniil Chayka (2-3) and Danny Zhilkin (2-3) each had five.
The Greyhounds had seven players record at least five points against the Storm led by Rory Kerins who had 13 (5-8). Cole MacKay had eight (3-5), Bryce McConnell-Barker (6-1) and Ryan O’Rourke (2-5) each had seven, Tye Kartye (5-1) had six and Tanner Dickinson (0-5) and Tyler Savard (2-3) each had five.
In net, Owen Bennett and Jacob Oster each had 1-2 records against the Greyhounds while Soo’s Samuel Ivanov went 2-2 and Tucker Tynan and Charlie Schenkel each went 1-0.
The games in Sault Ste. Marie are to start at 7:07 p.m. while the games at the Sleeman Centre are to begin at 7 p.m.
- Guelph Sports Journal