From the Stands: Attack a contrast in styles
It will be the skill and speed of the Guelph Storm against the grinding, defensive style of the Owen Sound Attack in the Ontario Hockey League’s Western Conference quarter-final that begins Friday night at the Sleeman Centre.
“I’ll tell you what they do,” said Storm coach Bill Stewart in describing the Attack.
“They get pucks to the net, they get players to the net, they challenge you to compete at your net as well as their net. (They are) strong on the boards and they’re a meat and potatoes team.”
These two teams know each other well with Guelph winning five of the eight games they’ve played this season, including two wins in Owen Sound. But the games have been close with the Storm outscoring the Attack 23-20 overall.
“They show up every night and they work hard and they play the right way,” said the Storm’s Robby Fabbri.
“But if we play our game, if we work just as hard and play the right way as well, it will be a fun series.”
While many will see the Storm as the most offensively talented team, the Attack have been far superior on the power play. They were sixth overall clicking at 24.6%, while the Storm stumbled along at just 18.5% – seventh from the bottom.
“First and foremost we want to move the puck north and south, we don’t want to get into the east and west game,” said Stewart, in explaining the way his team has to play to be successful. “I think our game is speed and when we are skating and when we are putting teams under a structured forecheck, that is when we are at our best.”
The problem with the Storm lately has been that their best players have not performed to their usual standards.
Tyler Bertuzzi looked like he had 50 goals in his sights but suddenly stopped scoring. He had just two goals in his last 10 games.
Robby Fabbri may have broken out with a hat trick in the team’s 6-2 win over Sarnia Sunday, but he isn’t skating the way he did before suffering a painful high ankle sprain and goaltender Justin Nichols hasn’t been as “lights out” as he was earlier in the season.
It’s not that the team is playing poorly but they seem to be playing at 90% and that simply won’t cut it in the playoffs.
They all need to find another gear and play harder.
“We have to start demanding it from every guy and every line to do their little bit, even if it’s a hit or clearing the puck,” said captain Jason Dickinson.
“I mean it’s not all about goals and points and I think that’s what we need to get into our heads – that the little things matter.”
At this time of year they certainly do and no team should know that more than the players remaining from last year’s OHL championship team.
Owen Sound scored three more goals than the Storm on the season and allowed 26 fewer but I think playoff experience is a factor.
Prediction: As long as Guelph finds that next gear, I say Storm in six.
From the Land of Oz . . . Tyler Bertuzzi ends the season as the Storm’s top scorer with 43 goals and 98 points. Pius Suter had an amazing sophomore season with 43 goals and 72 points. Robby Fabbri averaged 1.7 points per game, with Bertuzzi next at 1.44. Fabbri missed 38 Storm games this season. Had Fabbri played all 68 games, he would have been on pace to score 116 points . . . The second game of the series is at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Game 3 is Tuesday in Owen Sound at 7 p.m. with Game 4 in Owen Sound on Wednesday at 7 p.m. . . . The schedule for Games 5, 6 and 7, if necessary, is: Game 5, Saturday April 4 in Guelph, 7 p.m.; Game 6, Sunday April 5 in Owen Sound, 2 p.m.; Game 7, Tuesday April 7 in Guelph, 7 p.m.
