Storm unleash nine-goal barrage on Owen Sound
GUELPH – The Guelph Storm had an offensive explosion Friday night at the Sleeman Centre as they skated to a 9-4 victory over the Owen Sound Attack in Ontario Hockey League play.
It was the Storm’s largest single-game output of the young season.
Guelph Storm 9 Owen Sound 4
The hosts led 6-1 just after the game’s midway point. They had led 4-1 at the end of the first period and were up 6-3 at the end of the second.
Sasha Pastujov led the Storm scorers with a hat trick while Valentin Zhugin added a pair of goals. Getting a goal apiece were Charlie Paquette, Marko Sikic, Ben McFarlane and Braeden Bowman. Paquette, Danny Zhilkin, Matthew Poitras and Sikic each had two assists while single helpers were awarded to Pastujov, Daniil Chayka, Matthew Papais, Cooper Walker and Jake Karabela.
Pastujov’s performance extended his goal-scoring streak to four games and his point-scoring streak to eight games. He has 10 goals and seven assists in those eight games with seven goals and three assists coming in his last four games.
Stepan Machacek, Colby Barlow, Nolan Seed and Sam Sedley each had single goals for Owen Sound while Andrew Perrott and Deni Goure each had two assists and Gavin Bryant, Ethan Burroughs and Taos Jordan had one apiece.
The Storm outshot the Attack 32-25 and went 1-for-4 on their power play. They also got away with taking the majority of the penalties as Owen Sound went 1-for-8 on its power play.
Jacob Oster had 21 saves to get the win in the Storm net. Mack Guzda started in net for the Attack, but was pulled in favour of Corbin Votary after Guelph’s fifth goal at 3:17 of the second period. Guzda had four saves while Votary had 19.
The win was the second one-sided win over the Attack this season as the Storm had won 7-3 at Owen Sound Oct. 13.
Pastujov’s output leaves him tied with Tye Kartye of the Soo Greyhounds and Luke Evangelista of the London Knights for the goal-scoring lead with 10 apiece. Kartye has a league-high eight power-play goals.
Pastujov and Cole MacKay of Soo are tied for the point-collecting lead with 17 apiece.
The Storm is fifth in the Western Conference at 4-4-1-0 while Owen Sound is eighth at 2-6-0-1. London Knights lead with a perfect 8-0-0-0 record while Soo is second at 7-3-0-0, Kitchener Rangers third at 5-3-0-0 and Saginaw Spirit fourth at 4-1-1-0.
Friday’s game was the middle game of three games in three days for the Storm. They lost 6-3 to the Windsor Spitfires (sixth at 3-3-0-2) in Windsor Thursday night and are to host Soo Saturday at 7 p.m.
Soo is to enter Saturday’s game coming off two consecutive wins over Kitchener – 3-1 at Sault Ste. Marie Wednesday and 5-4 at Kitchener Friday.
Saturday’s game will also be the Storm’s first of three in four games against the Greyhounds as they’re to play twice in Sault Ste. Marie next weekend.
- Guelph Sports Journal