OHL Playoffs Round Up Day 2
Neate Sagar, ‘Buzzing the Net’ – Yahoo! Sports – Friday night offered the whole megillah in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. One of the favourites, the Plymouth Whalers, got its comeuppance on home ice, while there was ample chippiness, chirping, carping coaches and competitive contests. Here’s a look at the state of each series:
Guelph 4 Plymouth 2 (Storm lead Western Conference series 1-0) — Why should the Whalers not panic after coughing up home-ice advantage to a team with 29 fewer points? The absence of captain Beau Schmitz and winger Garrett Meurs combined with Guelph’s track record vs. Plymouth were ample reason to believe this would be a longer series than the typical 2 vs. 7 matchup.
Sparks was the epitome of good to be lucky, lucky to be good, making what Tony Saxon called “break-out-the-thesaurus saves” among his 45 stops as he walked his talk. That gibed with the Whalers’ recounting.
As centre Alex Aleardi put it to Tim Smith:
“[Sparks is] a big goalie, he takes up a lot of space … But we made him look good tonight. We just got to keep getting to the net. We’re going to put pressure on him, he’s going to weaken down and we’re going to score a lot of goals.” (Plymouth Observer & Eccentric)
Guelph, as people have come to expect with a Scott Walker team, was full value for the win, getting some greasy (and goofy) goals. How far they can go on that remains to be seen, of course.
Saginaw 5 Sarnia 1 (Spirit lead Western Conference series 1-0) — So how about Nail Yakupov and Alex Galchenyuk? Galchenyuk didn’t take faceoffs, suggesting he’s not 100 per cent, but he did score a goal in his playoff debut. Yakupov, with Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke among the cognoscenti from the NHL looking on, was not a compelling factor. They were hardly the only elements that were not hitting on all eight cylinders for coach-GM Jacques Beaulieu’s team, though.
What was that about Spirit goalie Jake Paterson possibly being underrated coming into the series? The 17-year-old stopped 26-of-27 shots to win his first post-season start. Sarnia’s JP Anderson, playing in his 46th junior playoff game, was beaten for five goals on 33 shots. That is somewhat in line with each goalie’s recent run of games.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE COMPLETE STORY AT YAHOO!SPORTS
The home crowd is never more important than do-or-die games in the playoffs… and Round One Rush is back so that fans can pack the Sleeman Centre and cheer their Storm into the second round! Tickets are available on Saturday, March 24 in person at the Guelph Storm box office from 10 am – 2 pm or by calling or visiting Ticketmaster (CLICK HERE).
Round One Rush is in effect for the first round of the 2012 post-season giving Storm fans the opportunity to enjoy the excitement of OHL Playoff hockey for only $12!
The ‘Rush’ is on… but don’t miss your chance to buy early because if you wait until the day of the game, TICKET PRICES WILL INCREASE BY UP TO $10 PER TICKET (SEE BELOW).
TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE for all three games scheduled to be played in Guelph (Game 2, Game 4 and Game 6 (if necessary)). Game 6 orders must be purchased by credit card until the game is deemed necessary to facilitate refunds in the event that the game is not necessary.
The Guelph Storm box office is open on Saturday from 10 am – 2pm for in person or phone orders at (519) 837-9690 and on Sunday from 12:00 pm – the end of the second period.
Tickets can be purchased in person at the Guelph Storm box office in Old Quebec Street Mall, or call (519) 837-9690 to order by phone ($3.00 per order charge will apply to phone orders). Tickets also available through Ticketmaster (standard Ticketmaster charges apply).
PLYMOUTH-GUELPH SERIES DATES (series best four-of-seven):
‘ROUND ONE RUSH’ 2012 PLAYOFF PRICES
*GAME 2 “RUSH” PRICES END SATURDAY, MARCH 24TH
*GAME 4 “RUSH” PRICES END WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28TH
*GAME 6 “RUSH” PRICES END SATURDAY, MARCH 31ST
| REGULAR SEATS | ADVANCE | DAY OF GAME | ||||
| Adult | $12 | $22 | ||||
| Student/Senior | $12 | $19 | ||||
| Child (12 & under) | $12 | $15 |
| CLUB SEATS | ADVANCE | DAY OF GAME | ||||
| Adult | $17 | $27 | ||||
| Student / Senior | $17 | $24 | ||||
| Child (12 & under) | $17 | $20 |
| VIP CLUB SEATS | ADVANCE | DAY OF GAME | |||||
| All seat types | $24 | $34 |
