Storm edge Whalers 4-3 in pre-season play

 

Eric Balnar, Guelphstorm.com —

A late goal from Pius Suter lifted the Guelph Storm to a 4-3 victory over the Plymouth Whalers in pre-season play on Friday night. The win was Guelph’s third straight as they continue to prepare for the regular season.

The win was all the more impressive considering they did it with their supporting cast. With 8 Storm veterans and key players off at NHL Rookie Camps, the Storm used a roster mostly filled with rookies to dispatch of the Whalers.

But it wasn’t a picture perfect start.

The Whalers jumped on the board early when Danny Vanderwiel finished off a nice passing sequence by firing a shot by Justin Nichols.

But all Guelph needed was 11 seconds to seize the lead back. With a Plymouth player serving a first period penalty, Stephen Pierog pounded home his own rebound to tie the game. Rookie Jesse Hilton grabbed his first pre-season assist on the goal.

11 seconds later Pierog and Adam Craievich crashed the net with Craievich swatting in a bouncing puck with Plymouth goalie Zack Bowman all tied up.

The 2-1 lead held until the Storm extended their lead early in the second when the puck settled on the stick of rookie defenseman Kyle Rhodes. The 16 year old sent a screamer in from the point that was deflected by another rookie, Aleks Rapp, into the back of the net.

Then the penalty parade began. After the teams exchanged penalties. Guelph nearly killed off a 2-man-advantage for Plymouth but with just 7 seconds remaining in the penalty, Brook Hiddink rifled a shot through Justin Nichols which cut the Storm lead in half.

In total eight minor penalties and 16 penalty minutes were distributed in a busy second period for the referee.

The penalty troubles continued into the third. On another power play, Will Bitten popped in a puck into an open net despite the best cross-crease sprawling efforts from Justin Nichols. The goal tied the game at three just two minutes into the final frame.

Late in the period, Aleks Rapp continued his strong play by causing a turnover and feeding the puck to Pius Suter. The speedy Swiss player raced down the wing and sniped one over Bowman’s glove hand to make it 4-3.

Pius Suter, Aleks Rapp and Stephen Pierog each had a goal and an assist to lead the Storm in scoring.

Justin Nichols was steady in net stopping 22 of 25 shots.

The Storm will take Saturday off before travelling down the highway to Cambridge to take on the Colts in a final preseason tune-up.

The regular season begins September 26^th with a home date vs. the Belleville Bulls.

 

FIRST PERIOD

Scoring:

1.     PLY – 18 Vanderwiel (23 Sills, 38 Scognamiglio) – 2:09

2.     GUE (PP) – 19 Pierog (12 Hilton) 8:29

3.     GUE (PP) – 13 Craeivich (19 Pierog) 8:40

 

Penalties

1.     PLY – 5 Sensky (Interference) – 7:43

 

SECOND PERIOD

Scoring

4.     GUE – 5 Rapp (3 Rhodes, 22 Suter) – 3:48

5.     PLY (PP) – 28 Hiddink (27 Rathgeb, 5 Sensky)

 

Penalties
2. GUE – 10 Hall (Holding) – 6:33, 3. PLY – 38 Scognamiglio (Delay) – 9:48, 4. GUE – 6 Baltisberger (Holding) – 12:56, 5. GUE – 15 Stevens (Checking to Head) 14:10, 6. PLY – 24 Henderson (Hooking) 16:14, 7. GUE – 11 Chatham (Slashing) 19:35, 8. PLY –  21 McEwan(Checking From Behind) 19:35, 9. GUE – 19 Pierog (Slashing) 19:50

 

THIRD PERIOD

 

Scoring

6.     PLY (PP) – 41 Bitten (11 Chatham, 19 Mercer) 2:44

7.     GUELPH – 22 Suter (5 Rapp) 12:41

 

 

 

Penalties

10. GUE – 27 McFadden (Slashing) 0:57, 11. PLY – 19 Mercer (Slashing) 2:49, 12. PLY – 3 Di Carlo (Roughing) 5:05, 13. GUE – 22 Suter (Roughing) 5:05, 14. GUE –Bench Minor (Too Many Men) 7:23, 15. PLY Caamano (Tripping) 13:06 16. PLY Henderson (Hooking) 17:20, 17. GUE  Stevens 19:52

 

SHOTS

 

Guelph 9 – 9 – 7 – 25

Plymouth 9  – 8 – 9 – 26

 

SAVES

 

Justin Nichols 8 – 7 – 8 – 23

Zack Bowman 7 – 8 – 6 – 21

 

PP

Guelph 1/6

Plymouth 2/6

 

TOTAL

 

Guelph 2 – 1-

Plymout 1- 1

 

 

 Game Notes

–  8 projected Storm regulars were out of the line up because they are attending NHL Rookie Camps. The players are Robby Fabbri (St. Louis), Jason Dickinson (Dallas), Tyler Bertuzzi (Detroit), Justin Auger (Los Angeles), Ben Harpur (Ottawa), Zac Leslie (Los Angeles), Chadd Bauman (Chicago), Matthew Mancina (Calgary)

–  Newly signed prospects Levi Tetrault and Luke Burghardt made their first appearances in a Storm uniform

–  Guelph’s next preseason game is Sunday, September 14 at the Galt Garden Arena in Cambridge. Puck drop is 2:00 PM vs. the Barrie Colts

–  Guelph was ranked #8 in ther preseason BMO CHL Top Ten Rankings released Thursday. It is the Storm’s 27^th straight week in the top ten.