Series HQ: Sault Ste. Marie vs. Guelph
Game 1: Teams combine for just 39 shots as Greyhounds win opener
Sault Ste. Marie 4 vs. Guelph 3 – Soo leads series 1-0
- Tied at three, Gavin Hayes scored the go-ahead goal with 5:11 remaining in the second period
- The two teams combined for six second period goals
- New York Rangers prospect Bryce McConnell-Barker was the game’s first star with a goal and an assist
- Arttu Karki and Owen Allard scored other Soo goals while Kirill Kudryavtsev had two helpers
- Guelph’s Jake Karabela opened the scoring; Michael Buchinger and Brody Crane scored other Storm goals
- Greyhounds forward Jack Beck left the game with an injury in the first period and didn’t return
- The Hounds outshot the Storm 22-17, Soo went 1-for-4 on the PP to Guelph’s 2-for-3
- A crowd of 3,857 took in the Thursday night Game 1 at GFL Memorial Gardens
Game Centre & Highlights | Soo Post-Game | Guelph Post-Game
It's an absolute FRENZY in the Soo 😳
After a SIX-goal middle frame, the Hounds lead the Storm by a score of 4-3 🎥#OHLPlayoffs | #SOOvsGUE pic.twitter.com/S0DvUSXLuB
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) March 29, 2024
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(3) Soo Greyhounds (45-18-3-2) vs. (6) Guelph Storm (33-28-6-1)
Soo Series Preview | Guelph Series Preview
The Guelph Storm were one point away from making the drive 30 minutes west to Kitchener for Round 1. Instead, they embark on the 7.5 hour journey north to Sault Ste. Marie to begin their first round series against the Greyhounds.
Teams are seldom interested in making excuses for themselves, but the Guelph Storm have had the short end of the stick with injuries this season, particularly on the back end. Veterans Cam Allen (2-7–9), Michael Buchinger (10-37–47) and first round 2023 Priority Selection choice Quinn Beauchesne (2-5–7) have all missed extended periods, undoubtedly giving Chad Wiseman and his coaching staff the added challenge of finding a rhythm on the back end.
Storm vs. Soo 🔜 pic.twitter.com/1tVHpcpDzV
— Guelph Storm (@Storm_City) March 28, 2024
Speaking of injuries, the Storm start the series without starting goaltender Brayden Gillespie, who didn’t make the trip to the Soo, but remains a possibility later in the series. Damian Slavik, who has made several consecutive starts now for Guelph, carries the load in his absence and he’ll be tasked with holding a fleet-footed Soo offence at bay.
For their part, Guelph has struggled at times to generate offence. The Storm’s 26.7 shots-per-game were the lowest in the league this season. With that said, they’ve got guys who can put the puck in the net led by captain Braeden Bowman (37-34–71) who scored 37 times. Draft eligible centreman Jett Luchanko (20-54–74) piled up the assists, finishing with 54.
The Storm had been playing good hockey to end the regular season, winning a pair of home-and-home sets against both Kitchener and Owen Sound.
Guelph will need to be at their best against Sault Ste. Marie as the Greyhounds have been at the top of the Western Conference standings all season, boasting one of the OHL’s top defence corps led by Vancouver Canucks prospect Kirill Kudryavtsev (5-42–47), Detroit Red Wings selection Andrew Gibson (12-32–44) and power play presence Arttu Karki (21-24–45), a prospect of the Vegas Golden Knights.
There’s a good blend of speed with the likes of Jack Beck (27-58–85), Bryce McConnell-Barker (22-29–51) and Owen Allard (18-26–44) with some sizeable forwards in Jacob Frasca (16-17–33) and Gavin Hayes (37-39–76) who enable the Hounds to play heavy hockey when they want to.
While the Storm were typically outshot this season, Sault Ste. Marie made it common practice to outdo their opponents on the shot clock, with their 26.1 shots allowed per-game second-lowest in the OHL only to Saginaw.
Despite those metrics, the Hounds aren’t overlooking the Storm, who managed to defeat them once back in December.
“They’re a good forechecking team and a team that works really hard,” Bryce McConnell-Barker told soogreyhounds.com’s Peter Ruicci. “We’re not going to take them lightly.”
See the series in its entirety on OHL Live.
GOOD MORNING 🌅! Just over twenty-four hours before the playoffs start so let's fire up the 3rd Advancer of the week 👇
'Hounds depth is dangerous'
📰 https://t.co/fFbA7va5IG
(by Peter Ruicci – Independent Media)
🖼️ @FreezeFrameFtos pic.twitter.com/7m2nRo7mjP— Soo Greyhounds (@OHLHoundPower) March 27, 2024
Series Schedule:
Game 1: Thurs., March 28 – Guelph at Sault Ste. Marie, 7:07pm
Game 2: Sat., March 30 – Guelph at Sault Ste. Marie, 7:07pm
Game 3: Mon., April 1 – Sault Ste. Marie at Guelph, 6:30pm
Game 4: Wed., April 3 – Sault Ste. Marie at Guelph, 6:30pm
Game 5: Fri., April 5 – Guelph at Sault Ste. Marie, 7:07pm*
Game 6: Sun., April 7 – Sault Ste. Marie at Guelph, 6:30pm*
Game 7: Tues., April 9 – Guelph at Sault Ste. Marie, 7:07pm*
Season Series:
Soo wins 3-1
Dec. 16 – SOO 2 at GUE 3 (SO)
Jan. 5 – SOO 5 at GUE 2
Jan. 12 – GUE 2 at SOO 4
Mar. 8 – GUE 1 at SOO 3
Playoff History:
This marks the sixth time that Sault Ste. Marie and Guelph have met in the OHL Playoffs
– 2022 SOO def. GUE 4-1 – 1st Round / 2015 SOO def. GUE 4-0 – 2nd Round / 2008 SOO def. GUE 4-1 – 2nd Round / 1997 GUE def. SOO 4-2 – 2nd Round / 1994 SOO def. GUE 4-0 – 2nd Round