Playoff Game Preview: Guelph Storm vs. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

For the first time since the 2018-19 season, we are headed to the playoffs! Still the last team to lift the J. Ross Robertson trophy, the Storm enter the 2021-22 playoffs as the reigning OHL Champions. With a 5th place finish in the Western Conference, the Storm will face 4th place Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. The series will kick off in the Soo this coming weekend and shift to Guelph next week. Games 3 and 4 will be played at the Sleeman Centre next Tuesday, April 26th and Thursday, April 28th and if necessary Game 6 on Monday, May 2nd.

Regular Season Recap

During the regular season these two teams faced off against each other six times with the Greyhounds winning the season series 4 games to 2. The last match up was back on January 21st and ended in a 4-2 Greyhound’s win. Sasha Pastujov and Luka Profaca led the Storm in scoring against the Greyhounds this year with 3 goals each. While Cam Allen, Daniil Chayka, Danny Zhilkin and Valentin Zhugin all picked up a pair. Pastujov recorded the most points with seven in six games and 15 players had at least one point in the six games.

The Storm have only faced Greyhound starting goaltender, Tucker Tynan, once this year. The 20 year old made 39 saves in the Greyhound’s final 4-2 win over the Storm on January 21st. Goaltender Samuel Ivanov made 89 saves surrendering 16 goals in four games while Charlie Schenkel made 89 and let in two goals in two games.

For the Storm, goaltender Jacob Oster made 103 saves with the Greyhounds scoring 13 times for a 0.887 save percentage while Owen Bennett saved 71 of 86 shots faced for a 0.825 save percentage against the Soo this year.

Playoff History

The Storm and Greyhounds have met on four previous playoff occasions, in 1994, 1997, 2008, and most recently in 2015. In 2015, the Greyhounds swept the series with four straight wins. The only Storm playoff series win against the Greyhounds came in the second round of the 1997 playoffs when the Storm upset the first placed Greyhounds in game six on home ice.

First Round Series vs. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Game 1, Thurs., April 21 @ S.S. Marie 7:07
Game 2, Sat., April 23 @ S.S. Marie 7:07
Game 3, Tues., April 26 Guelph 7:00 ???? https://bit.ly/3KTTKVZ
Game 4, Thurs., April 28 Guelph 7:00 ???? https://bit.ly/3KWGsI2
Game 5, Sat., @ April 30 S.S. Marie 7:07 *
Game 6, Mon., May 2 Guelph 7:00 * ???? https://bit.ly/3xCl33k
Game 7, Wed., @ May 4 S.S. Marie 7:07 *
*-if necessary