KITCHENER — Guelph Storm goaltender Nico Daws won't be staring at his phone Monday, but he sure hopes it will ring.
Hockey Canada will be announcing the players invited to the Team Canada selection camp for the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships and Daws is in the running to be one of the goaltenders invited.
"You hope to get the call. I think I deserve it, but it's up to them," said Daws Sunday after turning in another brilliant performance in a 2-1 loss to the Kitchener Rangers at The Aud.
Daws was the only reason it was close. He made numerous tough saves in a game that saw the second Rangers goal scored into an empty net that made it 2-0 at the time.
Guelph scored with five seconds left on the clock for the 2-1 final.
It was the first time in 14 games Guelph hasn't earned at least one point.
Daws said he isn't nervous about the potential call tomorrow, that he doesn't really focus on it. He's put the body of work in, putting up some of the best numbers in the country, and that's all he can do.
"It would definitely be a really cool experience. You grow up watching the World Juniors and you dream about playing there. If my name gets called for the camp, I'd be really excited.
He called the past three months "a big whirlwind."
"Starting the year not really knowing what was going to happen to potentially getting a call to go to the camp, it's pretty special," Daws said.
Storm coach George Burnett is keeping his fingers crossed for his goaltender.
"Well if they were watching tonight I'm sure that didn't hurt him We had no business being in that game and he gave us a chance," Burnett said.
Down 1-0 late, the Storm had a golden opportunity to tie the game up when Kitchener's Dominic Sebrango was given a five-minute major for a slew foot on Storm defenceman Josh Wainman.
That gave the Storm a power play for the final four minutes of regulation, but they couldn't capitalize.
They pulled Daws to make it six-on-four but Kitchener found the empty net.
Michael Bianconi had the Guelph goal in the dying seconds.
"That's the first time in 24 games that I can say we weren't sharp and we didn't compete enough," Burnett said.
The killer was the second period, where Guelph was outshot 17-8 and spent most of the period in their own end.
"It was kind of a wake-up call for Kitchener when their coach got fired and now they've won a couple in a row and starting to build that confidence," Daws said. "They're a really good team over there, no matter what the standings say."
Guelph plays a make-up game in Saginaw on Wednesday. Friday they host the Barrie Colts and Sunday the London Knights.
