From the Stands
By Paul Osborne, Guelph Tribune
We are in a great final two weeks of the Ontario Hockey League season. Four teams: London, Guelph, Owen Sound and Kitchener are bunched tighter than a penalty box after a line brawl. The Storm let a tremendous opportunity slip through their hands losing 5-2 in Sarnia on Sunday – the same day both the Knights and Owen Sound had lost. A Guelph win and they are just three points behind third place London with a game in hand, and five points clear of the Attack who have an extra game on the Storm. But the loss left them five back of London and only three up on Owen Sound. Even Kitchener is in the mix. Even though they are six behind the Storm they have two games in hand.
So let the sprint to the finish begin.
This time of year is great because most of the games are against teams in your own division. It looks like London will finish third in the conference but they could really help the Storm finish fourth because the Knights play Owen Sound twice and the Rangers once. That is why the loss by the Storm to Sarnia hurts so much because if London can now clinch third place early, they will be resting players and have nothing to play for.
The Storm have five games left – the final three being on home ice. And, they play the Rangers twice and the Attack once, so those three games could go a long way to deciding who finishes where. The Rangers have seven games left but only two are at home and in that mix they have top ranked teams Erie, Sault Ste. Marie and London.
Owen Sound, the most imminent threat to the Storm and home ice advantage in the first round, have six games remaining with three at home, but it’s a tough schedule. London twice and the Soo are packed into those six games.
Guelph is in the enviable position of having their fate in their own hands, but their best players will have to better than they were in Sarnia on Sunday. With the loss of defenceman Zac Leslie and the uncertain return of veteran blueliner C. J. Garcia, the quartet of Tyler Bertuzzi, Jason Dickinson, Robby Fabbri and Pius Suter have to be dominant. The Storm will likely win more games 6-4 than they will 2-1 these days but that rides on those four creating havoc up front. They also need Justin Nichols to be great in goal. I think he is the best goaltender in the Western Conference and with his experience from last year’s OHL championship season, he needs to be a real factor from here on out.
“The good thing is that these guys are acclimated to (the tough games) now, especially the young guys, and when we get Garica and (Austin) Hall back it will certainly strengthen us on the back end” said coach Bill Stewart, “It will allow a guy like (veteran) Phil Baltisberger the type of quality minutes he can handle.”
From the Land of Oz…Suter had a great weekend for the Storm. He had two goals and an assist in the team’s huge 3-1 win over Owen Sound Friday night. Then he counted both Storm goals in the loss to Sarnia giving him 38 on the season. Last year as a rookie he had only nine goals.
