Training Camp Day 2: On-ice sessions begin
The boys are back in town.
After a day of meetings and fitness testing on Day 1 of Training Camp, Guelph Storm hopefuls took to the ice for the first time Tuesday morning, beginning a series of scrimmages that will last until Wednesday evening when the roster will be trimmed down.
Players were divided into three teams: Team O’Neill, Team Bertuzzi, and Team Doughty. Each team will play eight scrimmages – two in the morning and two in the afternoon – over the next two days. The scrimmages consist of a 30-minute game, run-time.
On the first day of scrimmages, it was a few rookies who stole the show as they attempt to prove to the Storm brass they belong on the roster.
First-round selection Ryan Merkley was impressive all day and scored a key goal for Team O’Neil in their clash with Team Doughty. Barrett Kirwin, Dante Sheriff, and Jakob Lee led rookie skaters with two goals each, while Sheriff also displayed his playmaking abilities.
Givani Smith led all returning players with three goals.
Scrimmage 1 – Team O’Neill (1) v Team Bertuzzi (2) 10:00am (Popovich vs. Herbst)
The first scrimmage of Training Camp 2016 was a low scoring affair featuring Team O’Neill versus Team Bertuzzi, led by Anthony Popovich and overage goaltender Liam Herbst, respectively.
Nicolas Sicoly put Team Bertuzzi on the board early scoring down the wing, Herbst held down the fort carrying a 1-0 lead into the second half of the game.
Luke Burghardt was able to find the back of the net early on in the second half, making it a 1-1 game. But it was in the dying minutes of the game when 2015 11th round selection, Jakob Lee scored a beautiful goal to secure the 2-1 win for Team Bertuzzi.
GOALS
Team O’Neill – Burghardt
Team Bertuzzi – Sicoly, Lee
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Scrimmage 2 – Team Doughty (4) v Team O’Neill (1) 10:50am (Daws vs. Hufsky)
Team Doughty got off to a strong start on Day 2 of Training Camp, as they took on Team O’Neill. The 2016 7th round Selection Nico Daws was in net for Team Doughty, while camp-invitee Kristian Hufsky tended goal for Team O’Neill.
Team Doughty wasted no time as Givani Smith scored a few minutes into the game to take the lead. They wouldn’t look back as four minutes later Kyle West tallied what would become the game-winning goal, giving Team Doughty a 2-0 lead heading into the second half of the scrimmage.
2016 6th round selection Barret Kirwin made a strong end-to-end rush, burying his own rebound to give Team Doughty a 3-0 lead. Daws played a strong game making some terrific saves, giving up one goal, scored by Brock Philips off a bounce from behind the net. With 25 seconds to go Isaac Ratcliffe redirected a shot from Austin Hall as Team Doughty defeated Team O’Neill 4-1
GOALS
Team Doughty – Smith, West, Kirwin, Ratcliffe
Team O’Neill – Philips
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Scrimmage 3 – Team Doughty (4) v Team Bertuzzi (2) 11:40am (Ledek vs. Miller)
It was a defensive showcase during the third and final scrimmage of the morning session. With Team Doughty. After a quick opening goal by Albert Michnac, the defense and goaltending took centre stage. Camp-invitee Luke Miller frustrated the opposition making timely saves for Team Bertuzzi. Jake Bricknell was awarded a penalty shot to end the first half of action but was denied by 11th round selection Richard Ledek.
The second half of the scrimmage was a different story. Team Doughty take control after Kirwin picked off the pass attempt by Miller, sending it to camp-invitee Dante Sheriff who scored on the empty net. Five minutes later, Ratcliffe was able to score the go-ahead goal, in close to the net. A few minutes later camp-invitee Stevon Hlusiak ripped one past Ledek from the top of the faceoff circle.
The final five minutes was all Team Doughty as they pressed Team Bertuzzi down low. The pressure lead to two quick goals by Garrett McFadden and James McEwan both from the point, giving Team Doughty the 4-2 win, making them undefeated during the morning session.
GOALS
Team Doughty – Sheriff, Ratcliffe, McFadden, McEwan
Team Bertuzzi – Michnac, Hlusiak
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Scrimmage 4 – Team Doughty (4) v Team Bertuzzi (1) 5:00pm (Daws vs.Herbst)
The first game of the afternoon session featured Team Doughty versus Team Bertuzzi, with Daws and Herbst tending the net for their respective teams. The first half of action was a fast-paced battle, that saw both teams defense stifle offensive attacks. With just over a minute to go in the first half, 2015 7th round selection Cedric Ralph, redirected a pass by Sheriff, to give Team Doughty the lead.
The second half saw the game open up and the offense took over. Givani Smith Scored early in the second half on a pass from McEwan. Matt Wilbee, a 15th round selection from the 2015 OHL Priority Selection got Team Bertuzzi on the board, but it wasn’t enough to get the win. West and camp-invitee James Turner scored in the final five minutes to give Team Doughty the 4-1 victory.
GOALS
Team Doughty – Ralph, Smith, West, Turner
Team Bertuzzi – Wilbee
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Scrimmage 5 – Team O’Neill (4) v Team Bertuzzi (2) 5:50pm (Popovich vs. Miller)
The fifth scrimmage of the day saw Team O’Neill take on Team Bertuzzi in a spirited contest. The game also featured Popovich and Miller playing for their respective teams.
It was a back and forth matchup as Team O’Neill got on the board first with a goal by Philips set up by Nick Deakin-Poot in the 23rd minute of the game. Team Bertuzzi bounced right back as Lee scored the equalizer just two minutes later. Matthew Hotchkiss then scored his first goal of the day to regain the lead, but Sicoly had other plans as he tied the game back up at the 15-minute marker to close the first half of action at 2-2.
Team O’Neill broke the tie with a beautiful shot from Liam Stevens, and they didn’t look back as Popovich made key saves to hold the lead. Matthew Bridgewater, a 12th round selection in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection, scored an insurance marker in the final minute of play to secure the 4-2 victory for Team O’Neill.
GOALS
Team O’Neill – Philips, Hotchkiss, Stevens, Bridgewater
Team Bertuzzi – Lee, Sicoly
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Scrimmage 6 – Team O’Neill (5) vs. Team Doughty (3) 6:40pm (Hufsky vs. Ledek)
The final scrimmage of the of the day featured Team O’Neill and the undefeated Team Doughty, with Hufsky and Ledek in goal for their respective teams.
It was a high scoring affair as the teams scored a day high, eight goals, during the 30 minutes of action. Team O’Neill got on the board first with Burghardt burying the rebound minutes into the action. Kirwin evened the score right away with a wrist shot from the slot. Sheriff followed this up banging home a rebound to give Team Doughty the lead. Team O’Neil continued to battle back, when Deakin-Poot found the back of the net to level the score at 2-2, heading into the second half of action.
The second half of the scrimmage was equally entertaining as Team Doughty reclaimed the lead when McEwan set up Smith on an odd-man rush. The lead lasted roughly four minutes, as 2016 1st round selection Ryan Merkley sniped one past Ledek. Both teams continued to apply pressure trying to secure the win when Team O’Neil’s Zack Cameron scored the go-ahead goal with just over three minutes left to play. Steven’s quickly followed up with an insurance marker to secure the 5-3 win, handing Team Doughty their first loss during Training Camp.
GOALS
Team O’Neill – Burghardt, Deakin-Poot, Merkley, Cameron, Stevens
Team Doughty – Kirwin, Sheriff, Smith
Camp continues Wednesday morning as the teams will play out the same itinerary as Tuesday.
For all training camp details and roster, click here.
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The 2016-17 Season is proudly presented by RBC.
