ERIE, PA. — The Guelph Storm will have to wait one more day before they know who they will meet in the first round of the playoffs.
But it will be either Kitchener or Sarnia.
A 6-4 loss to the Erie Otters at Erie Insurance Arena Saturday night prevented them from controlling their own destiny and it now depends on the outcome of Sunday’s game between the Windsor Spitfires and the Saginaw Spirit.
If Windsor gets at least one point from the game, they finish sixth and Guelph seventh, meaning a first round matchup against Kitchener.
If Saginaw beats Windsor in regulation, Guelph finishes sixth and will play Sarnia.
Windsor holds the tie-breaking advantage over Guelph. The Storm holds the advantage over Sarnia.
Either way, they start the first round on the road Friday night and Game 2 either Saturday (if it’s Sarnia) or Sunday (if it’s Kitchener).
Games 3 and 4 will be in Guelph March 27 and March 28, a Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I think every one of the teams that we could possibly play will be a formidable opponent. There’s no free passes,” Storm coach George Burnett said Saturday.
“There’s different things with each team. Sarnia is deep, big and physical, they can really score and get great goaltending.
“Guelph-Kitchener, there’s a rivalry there and being only 20 minutes down the road will certainly lend itself to the rivalry and the interest around the series.”
Storm rookie Mason Primeau, one of the Storm’s better players Saturday, said it doesn’t really matter who the team meets.
“We’ve had a relatively good end to the season, considering what we went through the past few weeks.
“I think if we play our game we can put up a good fight against anyone,” Primeau said.
After a couple of big wins over the Kitchener Rangers this week, the Storm looked a little emotionally drained against the last place Otters.
The 6-4 final was a little complimentary, with the Storm scoring three of their goals in the final seven minutes of the third period.
“(Erie) was hungry and they were loose, but I’m not going to make a lot of excuses,” Burnett said of the loss.
“We’ve had a pretty good few days this week and I think it just caught up to us tonight,” he said, agreeing that perhaps the team was a little drained Saturday.
“We had a couple of big games this week and we had an emotional win last night, we can’t get lost in tonight’s outcome,” Burnett said.
He said the team definitely missed defenceman Owen Lalonde Saturday.
The second-year defenceman suffered a shoulder injury in Kitchener Friday and is doubtful for the start of the playoffs.
Saturday’s game was tied 1-1 through most of the first period, until Erie scored a pair of goals in the final three minutes of the frame and the Storm never recovered.
Anthony Popovich was pulled after allowing four goals on 21 shots.
