Game Preview: Storm head to Erie for the front end of a home and home series

On Sunday, the Storm will cross the boarder to take on the Erie Otters for the fourth time this season and the first meeting of the Family Day weekend back-to-back against the Otters. It has been a tight series so far, with every meeting between these two teams decided in overtime or a shootout. Guelph has won 2 of the 3 games with numerous players putting up multi-point performances in each game. Hillis recorded  2 goals and 2 assists night in the Storm’s only loss to Erie back in October.

Fans can purchase tickets either in-person at the Sleeman Centre Box Office, by calling (519) 837-9690 or online at ticketmaster.com here.

Erie Otters

After winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup last year and earning a trip to the Memorial Cup, Erie finds themselves in a tough spot this season. Last in the Midwest division and bottom 3 in the league, their record of 29-7-3 has them with 42 points.

One bright spot for Erie has been the dominance of right winger Ivan Lodnia. After a 57-point campaign that lead to him getting drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the 3rd round, he has been one of Erie’s best players all year. With 20 goals and a team leading 34 assists, he tops Erie with points at 54 in 55 games.

Guelph Storm

Guelph is currently riding their longest point streak of the season with 3 wins and a loss in overtime and one in a shootout, the Storm have collected 8 of a possible 10 points in their last 5 games. With a record of 27-21-2-4, their 60 points place them 7th in the Midwest division. Don’t let that fool you though, it’s a tight battle for fourth with just six points separating four teams.

Cam Hillis is continuing to put up numbers in his rookie year. With another assist against Ottawa on Friday, he now has 19 goals, 33 assists and 52 points in 53 games. With that point total, he leads the OHL rookies in scoring.

Players to Watch

This game has 7 players drafted to the NHL, 6 from Guelph and 1 from Erie. The only player to be drafted from Erie is Ivan Lodnia (Minnesota Wild). Guelph has had 4 forwards drafted and 2 defensemen. The forwards are Liam Hawel (Dallas Stars), Nate Schnarr (Arizona Coyotes), Alexey Toropchenko (St. Louis Blues) and Isaac Ratcliffe (Philadelphia Flyers). Their defensemen are Mark Shoemaker (San Jose Sharks) and Dimitri Samorukov (Edmonton Oilers).

Though they only have one player drafted, Maxim Golod is making his case to be drafted this year. With 9 goals and 17 assists for 26 points this year, Central Scouting listed him in their top 125 draft-eligible North American skaters. With an assist on Friday, Isaac Ratcliffe has started

another point streak, as he has scored 2 goals and an assist in his past 3 games. The Storm’s leading goal scorer now has 31 goals and 19 assists for 50 points in 53 games this season.

Upcoming Games

After this game, both teams will travel to Guelph for the second half of the home and home series. The puck will drop at 2:00 on Family Day.

Family Day is not only a great opportunity to bring the entire family to the Sleeman Centre, but also to meet your favourite Storm players following the game!

The Storm host the Erie Otters at 2pm in what has become an annual Family Day tradition at the Sleeman Centre.  Once the game ends, more fun begins on the ice as fans with tickets to the game are welcome to get on the ice and skate around with their favourite Storm players.

Each member of the team will be signing autographs, taking pictures and interacting with Storm fans.

Fans are encouraged to bring their skates to the game, as only those with skates will be permitted onto the ice.  Helmets are strongly encouraged.

Fans can purchase tickets either in-person at the Sleeman Centre Box Office, by calling (519) 837-9690 or online at ticketmaster.com here.