Game Preview: Attack visit in potential playoff match-up
The Guelph Storm and the Owen Sound Attack face off in the final regular season match-up on Friday, featuring what could be a potential first round playoff preview for the Midwest Division opponents.
Steph Coratti, GuelphStorm.com
The Guelph Storm need just one point to clinch fourth place in the Western Conference standings. A seemingly small feat that the Owen Sound Attack will try to prolong when they visit the Sleeman Centre on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop.
The Attack sit three points removed of the fourth place Storm, with both teams left with just two games remaining on the 2014-15 regular season schedule.
In what will undoubtedly hold a playoff-like tone, the Storm and the Attack will face off for the final time of the regular season on Friday, yet, may very well be previewing the first round of the 2015 OHL Playoffs.
Both the Storm and the Attack have compiled 5-5-0-0 records over their last ten games played.
Player Watch
In 2013-14, as a rookie, Pius Suter scored just nine goals through 66 games. As of this past Tuesday against the Kitchener Rangers, the sophomore now has 40 goals in 59 games this season. The 40-goal total puts the Wallisellen, Switzerland native 11th overall among OHL goal scorers – just one goal back of London’s Christian Dvorak who has recorded 41 goals in 65 games. Additionally, just this past week, Suter was voted as the Western Conference’s Most Underrated and Most Improved Player in the 2014-15 Coaches Poll. Flying under the radar may not be a bad thing, however, as the coined Swiss-Assassin has been a consistent force in all aspects of the game for the Storm, with his plus-24 rating (and plus-40 posted through 125 total OHL-games to date) emphasizes a full 200-foot game for the five-foot-eleven, 165-pound forward. Looking to Friday’s match-up specifically, Suter has compiled three goals for five points in five games played against Owen Sound this season, including two multi-point displays.
From breakout seasons to breakout games, rookie James McEwan lifted the Storm to a 3-2 victory over the Rangers on March 17 with a goal and an assist. It would be the first time the 1997-born Chatham, Ontario native recorded a goal and an assist in the same game of his young OHL career. With the strong showing, McEwan earned first star honours – another first through a total of 47-career games thus far. On the season, the foot-foot-eleven, 190-pound left-winger has posted 10 points (three goals, seven assists), but has dealt with a high ankle sprain injury and recovery for the majority of the 2014-15 campaign. Tuesday’s offensive display is surely a sign of things to come from the Storm’s young talent.
No different than most nights, though, all eyes should be on Jason Dickinson, as the Storm captain will be doing what he does best – leading the way with a smart performance in both ends of the ice. Recently named the Best Defensive Forward in the Western Conference in the 2014-15 Coaches Poll, Dickinson is, with no qualms, an offensive force as well. In 54 games this season, the Dallas Stars prospect has tallied 68 points (25 goals, 43 assists), and has posted three goals for six points in six games against the Attack this season.
The Opponent: Owen Sound Attack (33-24-2-7, 75 points)
The Attack have been streaking through losses and wins as of late. Starting with a 1-0 loss at the hands of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on March 8, Owen Sound dropped the next two contests to the Barrie Colts and the London Knights. However, the Attack would rebound with two straight wins over the Knights and the Plymouth Whalers.
In the Attack’s last contest on March 18, a 7-3 result over the Whalers, Owen Sound left nothing on the table with Kyle Platzer and Zach Nastasiuk taking charge with three point performances (two goals, one assist).
Platzer, the Attack’s leading point-getter, has 78 points (32 goals, 46 assists) in 66 games this season. The 96th overall selection of the Edmonton Oilers in 2013, Platzer has compiled three goals and two assists in seven games against the Storm this season.
Nastasiuk stands 17th overall among OHL goal scorers with 35 in 62 games this season. Along with the league ranking, the Owen Sound captain is having a career-year in his fourth OHL season with a high of 77 points in 62 games this campaign.
Another OHL-sophomore enjoying a breakout season in Thomas Schemitsch, contributed with four-helpers against the Whalers this past Wednesday, earning the game’s first star deservingly. The 1996-born, Thornhill, Ontario native has a compiled 47 points (13 goals, 34 assists) in 66 games this season, following 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 63 games as a rookie in 2013-14.
Season Series: Guelph 5, Owen Sound 2
- Oct. 4: Guelph 3, Owen Sound 2
The teams exchanged goal-for-goal beginning with Owen Sound’s Daniel Milne in the opening frame on the man advantage. Pius Suter would follow up the effort, tying the game at one-a-piece just over four minutes later at the 12:17 mark of the period.
The Attack would take a 2-1 lead into the third period as Milne pocketed his second of the game with another power play marker with just seven seconds remaining in the opening 20 minutes.
Tying things up would be Storm captain Jason Dickinson with a power play tally of his own, while Garrett McFadden, playing close to his hometown of Kincardine, Ontario, earned the game winner with a highlight reel end-to-end rush for his first of the season.
- Oct. 25: Owen Sound 3, Guelph 2 (SO)
In the second match-up of the season, the Attack would knot up the series at one with a shootout victory. Petrus Palmu and Kyle Platzer, both regulation goal scorers for the Attack, scored in the shootout, with Ethan Szypula making it a perfect three-for-three for the home squad en route to a 3-2 win.
Tyler Bertuzzi had the two goals for the Storm, along with the lone successful shootout attempt in the loss.
- Dec. 12: Guelph 4, Owen Sound 3 (SO)
Continuing the one-goal decision trend, after the teams once again exchanged goals throughout the opening and third periods of the contest in a 3-3 tie, the Storm went on to grab the second remaining point in a shootout result as Luke Cairns and Suter were the only successful attempts in a 4-3 victory.
Justin Nichols turned aside 24 of 27 shots on the game, and denied both Palmu and Szypula to grab the shootout win.
- Jan. 2: Guelph 3, Owen Sound 2 (SO)
For the third consecutive match-up, the Storm and the Attack needed a shootout to decide a winner in the first of back-to-back tilts.
Nichols, undoubtedly the game’s first star, kept his team in the game with 37 of 39 saves and was perfect in six rounds of the shootout, giving defenceman Zac Leslie the opportunity to score the lone shootout marker to take the game.
Leslie also registered a goal and an assist in the game.
- Jan. 3: Guelph 4, Owen Sound 1
Breaking the one-goal decision pattern, the Storm scored three unanswered to to take a 4-1 result over the Attack. Dickinson pocketed his 12th of the season on the power play with just over six minutes remaining in the first, while Bertuzzi and Tyler Boston scored in the second and third periods respectively to build on the lead, and solidify the 4-1 victory in Owen Sound.
Nichols, once again, put on a strong showing between the pipes, stopping 52 of 53 shots in the win.
- Feb. 21: Owen Sound 4, Guelph 1
The Storm struggled to get anything going in Owen Sound, falling behind 3-0 after the opening period and registering only nine shots in both the first and second periods. After the Attack added one more to make it four on the game 1:12 into the middle frame, Chris Marchese got the Storm on the board at the 12:16 mark of the second.
That would be it, though, as the Storm would fall 4-1.
- March 6: Guelph 3, Owen Sound 1
GAME NOTES
- With a win, Justin Nichols (currently tied for fifth all-time in franchise wins with 68) will surpass Thomas McCollum and sit fourth overall in wins among Storm goaltenders.
- Friday’s game will be the eighth and final regular season match-up for the Storm and the Attack. Guelph leads the season series 5-2.
- The Storm have won seven straight games on home ice.
- Guelph needs just one point in their last two regular season games to clinch fourth place in the Western Conference, and, as a result, gain home-ice advantage in the 2015 OHL Playoffs.
- The Storm close out the regular season on Sunday as they host the Sarnia Sting at 2:00 p.m.
