From the Stands
By Paul Osborne, Guelph Tribune
As the Storm struggles to find consistency every night, the players on the third and fourth lines seem to have found their groove. Cody McNaughton has elevated his game. In Sunday’s thrilling come-from-behind 3-2 win in London, McNaughton set up the tying goal then scored the game winner. Scott Kosmachuk and Brock McGinn have both received rave reviews from their coach but perhaps no one has improved more in recent weeks than the unassuming Francis Menard.
He came to Guelph with some fanfare from the famed Notre Dame Hounds hockey academy but has laboured to establish himself. After interviewing Menard earlier this season with another reporter, we both chuckled afterwards that we didn’t even know he had a French accent. It is safe to say he had flown under the radar.
But lately, under coach Scott Walker, he has found his role. It really isn’t any different than it was under Jason Brooks but for whatever reason, his down low style of hockey that sees the puck chipped in and then cycled deep, has started to work. But he was also his own worst enemy at times.
“When I got here his body language wasn’t great” said Walker. “If he had a chance to score and didn’t, he’d get down so easily. I always say you have to have a real short memory in hockey. The game is so fast and you have to learn how to take (bad luck). You have to be resilient.”
“I was putting too much pressure on myself because I wanted to do good” said Menard. “(Chris) VanLaren and (Michael) Latta helped me a lot with that and the coaches have also helped me to relax on the ice.”
After a terribly slow start he has now started to chip in offensively (24 points in 52 games) but more importantly he has earned the trust of his coach.
“It was a relief to start scoring again and it is all because our line (most often with McNaughton and Kosmachuk) keeps it simple and we have no egos on our line” said the native of Embrun, Ontario the same hometown as former Storm star Marty St. Pierre. “We just move it around and do what the coach asks us to do.”
As the two top lines struggle to find a consistent work ethic and team first attitude, Menard’s gritty work ethic has been greatly appreciated. It has also changed his value as an asset to the franchise. After his slow start you wondered if he would ever pan out as a top draft pick. But now it is clear he will be a key player not only the rest of the way this year, but next season as well.
From the Land of Oz….Just as the Storm got Andrej Pedan and Tim Campbell back from sick bay, they have lost Tyler Carroll (upper body), Richard Panik (ankle) and Sam Lofquist (upper body) to injuries. Carroll and Panik are doubtful for this weekend but Lofquist should be back. The Storm also played without Taylor Beck for all three games on the weekend. He was sitting out a three game suspension for spearing Kitchener’s Ryan Murphy last Tuesday night…The Storm lost 5-3 to lowly Peterborough last Thursday with Latta scoring twice. They then downed Brampton 4-2 at home Friday with Panik scoring the winning goal and then beat the Knights in London 3-2 after entering the third period trailing 2-0.
