Game Preview: Storm vs. Otters December 1st
Guelph, ON. –The Guelph Storm will be hosting the Erie Otters at the Sleeman Centre this Friday, December 1st for the third meeting between the two clubs this season. The season series is currently split at one game apiece with each team winning on home ice. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.
Fans can purchase tickets either in-person at the Sleeman Centre Box Office, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., by calling (519) 837-9690 or online at ticketmaster.com here.
Erie Otters
The Erie Otters find themselves in an unusual position for themselves nearing the halfway mark of the season. They currently sit last in the Midwest division and 17th in the overall standings. This is new territory for a team that has not finished a season below a .500 winning percentage since the 2012-2013 season.
With a record of 3-6-1-0 in their last ten, the Otters have struggled to find secondary scoring behind their first line. The Otters first line of Taylor Raddysh, Kyle Maksimovich and Ivan Lodnia have been dominate all season, filling out the top three of their team’s scoring by a significant margin.
Erie found themselves in two close games this weekend, losing to the Saginaw Spirit 4-3 and beating the Ottawa 67s 5-4 in a shootout. Troy Timpano managed to go six shootout rounds without allowing a goal until Maxim Golod ultimately won the game.
Guelph Storm
The Storm had a strong performance on the weekend, managing to win two out of their three games. Friday’s game against the Barrie Colts was a hard-fought game that came down to special teams. Guelph went 2/3 on their power play and 5/5 on the penalty kill before Cedric Ralph won the game on a breakaway. Saturday’s game resulted in rookie goalie, Nico Daws’ first OHL win. The win was an impressive one, with Daws turning aside 43 of the 45 shots he faced.
With a loss on Sunday to the London Knights, the Storm’s record in their last five games falls to 5-4-1-0. The team currently sits at 27 points which is a jump from the 21 points that the team had at this point last season. With key players continuing to provide valuable offence, look for the Storm to make a move up the standings in the games to come.
Players to Watch:
A total of 10 players between the two rosters have been drafted into NHL, consisting of Guelph’s Liam Hawel (Dallas Stars), Nate Schnarr (Arizona Coyotes), Alexey Toropchenko (St. Louis Blues), Mark Shoemaker (San Jose Sharks), Isaac Ratcliffe (Philadelphia Flyers), Givani Smith (Detroit Red Wings) and Dmitri Samorukov (Edmonton Oilers) in addition to Erie’s Taylor Raddysh (Tampa Bay Lightning), Ivan Lodnia (Minnesota Wild) and Jordan Sambrook (Detroit Red Wings
The Erie Otters’ first line has been extremely valuable to the team this season. The three players that form this line are centre Ivan Lodnia, left-winger Kyle Maksimovich, and right-winger Taylor Raddysh. The line has combined for 38 total goals this season, which comprises of over 40% of their team’s goals. Although this is an impressive statistic for one line, the Otters will need to find some secondary scoring on their other three lines if they want to improve upon their record.
Philadelphia Flyers second round pick, Isaac Ratcliffe was just named Storm player of the Week following an impressive six points in four games. Ratcliffe is currently leading the team in goals and plays important roles on the power play and penalty kill. After starting the year off slow, look for Ratcliffe to continue to display strong offensive production.
The game will also feature several of Guelph’s draft eligible prospects, three of which have been listed on NHL Central Scouting’s 2017-18 Players to Watch List. Guelph Storm star defencemen, Ryan Merkley, is one of only 24 players to receive an “A” rating which indicates a 1st Round Candidate for the upcoming NHL draft. Other eligible prospects to appear on the Players to Watch List include Owen Lalonde and Cameron Hillis. Erie’s rookie forward, Maxim Golod, was also named to the Watch List.
Promotions:
Friday’s game will feature our annual Holiday Toy Drive. The Storm are asking fans to support the Toy Drive by donating a new unwrapped toy for local families during the holiday season. NEW THIS SEASON… each fan who donates an unwrapped toy (or $2 cash donation) will receive a ‘Chuck-A-Puck’ to participate in the second intermission puck toss for a chance to win one of three great prizes!
Over the last two seasons, over 750 toys were generously donated by Storm fans. All toys will be donated to the Women in Crisis Shelters of Guelph and Wellington County.
New toys can be donated inside Gate 6. Prizes for the puck toss include $250 gift card for Spyke’s Sports, a team autographed jersey and a team autographed collector’s stick!
Broadcast Coverage:
Friday night’s contest against the Erie Otters can be heard live on the radio throughout the Guelph area on 1460 CJOY AM, online at www.jcoy.com or by downloading the CJOY app HERE. Additionally, the game will be televised live in Guelph on channel 22 / 510 (HD) for Rogers TV cable subscribers and throughout the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 439 for Rogers TV cable subscribers and 480 for Cogeco TV cable subscribers. Fans can also watch the game live online at www.ohllive.com or on the OHL Live app.
