Game Preview: Storm take on Sudbury at 7:30 p.m.
Coming off a 5-4 overtime win in North Bay on Thursday, the Guelph Storm look for their fourth consecutive win against the Sudbury Wolves tonight.
Steph Coratti, GuelphStorm.com
The Northern swing began on a dramatic note on Thursday night with Robby Fabbri netting the overtime winner with 13.4 seconds left for a 5-4 victory in North Bay. Looking to continue the momentum, the Storm travel to Sudbury for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop against the Wolves tonight.
With the Storm on a three-game winning streak, it seems things are starting to click for the defending champions after a bit of a rollercoaster start to the season. Fabbri, who now has 30 points in just 17 games played, has been a force to be reckoned with in the month of November, while Justin Nichols remains rock solid between the pipes on a nightly basis.
On the home side of the ice will be the Sudbury Wolves, who sit last in the OHL with eight points. Although, the four wins and .174 winning-percentage can be deceiving, as three of the four victories for the Wolves have come in their last ten games played. Their last win came against the Kitchener Rangers – who sit third in the Midwest Division with 30 points – on Nov. 16, featuring the Wolves taking a 3-2 game in the shootout.
Player Watch
To find a player who loves to take the ice in Sudbury more than Tyler Bertuzzi would be difficult. The Sudbury native is currently on a five-game scoring streak of multipoint games, including 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in nine contests in the month of November. As Guelph’s leading point-getter, Bertuzzi has totaled for 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists) in 23 games this season, with a team-high plus-nine rating. Ranked 12th overall in OHL scoring, the Detroit Red Wings prospect will look to add to his three career-goals against the Wolves – all scored in his hometown of Sudbury – with a typical Bert-esque goal celebration tonight. Bertuzzi has four points in five career games against the Wolves.
Robby Fabbri is right behind Bertuzzi on the Storm roster, and on the OHL’s Top 20 scoring leaders. The St. Louis Blues prospect’s 30 points in just 17 games puts him sitting in 13th overall in the league. What’s more impressive, however, is Fabbri’s performance over the past month of November. The Mississauga, Ontario native has points in nine of the last 11 games played, including five multi-point efforts (four of them coming in the last four games played). Following a four-point display for No. 9 in North Bay on Thursday, Fabbri now has 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in the last 11 games played, including three hat tricks – a career-high for the 5’10”, 178 lbs centreman, as he’s never registered more than one in a season. With the overtime winner that capped off the hat trick – and the 5-4 victory – against the Battalion on Nov. 27, Fabbri tied his highest career point total by month, previously set in February 2014. In three career games against the Wolves, Fabbri has totaled for one goal and five assists.
Rookie Matthew Hotchkiss has also been one to watch on the offensive for the Storm as of late. The 1998-born centre has strung together his best stretch of hockey with four points (two goals, two assists) in his last four games. The Whitby, Ontario native registered an assist in Guelph’s 5-4 win over North Bay on Thursday, compiling six points on the season so far.
The Opponent: Sudbury Wolves (4-19-0-0, 8 points)
Currently last in the OHL with only four wins in 23 games played, the 2014-15 season has not been the easiest for the Sudbury Wolves. However, the Wolves have been putting together solid efforts as of late with three of their four victories coming in the last ten games played.
On a two-game skid suffering back-to-back losses to the North Bay Battalion – who sit first in the Central Division – the last win for the Wolves came on Nov. 16 against the Kitchener Rangers. In a 3-2 shootout result, goaltender Samuel Tanguay turned aside 46 of 48 shots in a first star performance, including five consecutive stops in the shootout after allowing Justin Bailey and Brent Pedersen to score on the first two Kitchener attempts. Former Guelph Storm forward Brody Milne pocketed the shootout winner for the Wolves, earning third star honours on the night.
Tanguay, a native of Beauport, Quebec, has a 4.15 GAA and a .893 SV% for a 2-6-0-0 record. The 1995-born netminder has been playing well as of late, and will likely be the challenge in the blue paint facing the Storm tonight.
Leading the Wolves’ roster in points is Pavel Jenys, who has compiled 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 23 games played.
On the blue line is Kyle Capobianco, a Mississauga, Ontario native who ranks 20th in OHL defenseman with 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) on the season thus far.
Looking at special team efforts, despite struggling on the power play with a 19th league-ranked unit, the Wolves boast a strong penalty kill, sitting seventh overall with 80.2 PK%.
Guelph History Against Sudbury
Over the last five years, the Storm have compiled a 4-3-0-0 record against the Wolves, including both home and away contests. In Sudbury, Guelph has a .500 winning-percentage with a 2-2-0-0 record.
KEYS TO THE GAME
- In Nichols We Trust:
Justin Nichols is likely to get the start tonight for the 12th consecutive game after holding down the fort with a 39 of 43 save performance in North Bay on Thursday. Nichols, standing at 5’9” between the pipes, has been one of the biggest aspects of Guelph’s game this season, and will look to continue his solid play tonight in Sudbury. With a 2.96 GAA and a .909 SV%, Nichols is ranked ninth overall among league goaltenders, and sits fourth in wins with 12.
- Defence Pitching In:
In the last six games, Storm defensemen have compiled a total of 23 points (six goals and 19 assists). Leading the way have been Zac Leslie, who ranks eighth overall in the OHL among defensemen, who has a total of 20 points in 19 games played. The Los Angeles Kings prospect has recorded two goals for seven points in the last four games. Not too far behind is Ben Harpur, who has eight points (two goals, six assists) – including three multi-point performances – in his last four games played. Harpur, sitting at 15th among OHL defenseman, has one assist in five career games against the Wolves.
GAME NOTES
- Likely to get the start tonight is Justin Nichols marking his 12th straight start in net.
- Robby Fabbri is coming off a remarkable offensive performance in North Bay on Thursday. Following a four-point game, Fabbri now has a career-high in hat tricks with three – which have all been registered in the month of November – and has tied his highest career-point total by month with 23 points, a record previously set in February 2014.
- Tyler Bertuzzi is a native of Sudbury, Ontario, and has three goals (all coming in Sudbury) and one assist in five career-games against the Wolves.
- Marc Stevens scored his first OHL goal against the Wolves during Guelph’s 5-4 loss on Feb. 28, 2014 in Sudbury.
- The Sudbury Wolves have a 2-8-0-0 record at home, while the Storm have compiled a 5-5-0-1 road record. All five wins on the road for Guelph have come in one-goal contests.
- The Storm are riding a three-game winning streak heading into tonight’s match-up.
- Former Storm-forward Brody Milne is a player for the Sudbury Wolves.
