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Overall, it was a great weekend for the Guelph Storm

Ends with an overtime loss in Oshawa, but team takes five of possible six points overall

OSHAWA – The final seconds might have sucked, but overall the Guelph Storm have to be pretty happy with how its weekend went.

The Storm lost 5-4 in overtime Sunday to the Oshawa Generals but still came away with five of a six possible points, beating the Barrie Colts in overtime Saturday night and the North Bay Battalion Friday.

“A little confidence for the guys,” said Storm winger Isaac Ratcliffe. “After that little skid we had, we’re pretty happy with the outcome we had this weekend.”

Guelph had lost six games in a row heading into the weekend.

“It’s a great weekend, five out of six points and we positioned ourselves to get six out of six,” Storm coach Jarrod Skalde said.

“Losing six in a row was tough and this team’s been through some tough times in the past, so it was nice to get the ship righted this weekend,” Skalde said.

Sunday’s game ended 2:09 into overtime when Oshawa’s Kenny Huether rifled home a shot past Guelph netminder Liam Herbst, an in-close two-on-one made possible when Storm defenceman Ryan Merkley lost his man at the blue line.

But the game wouldn’t have even gone to overtime had it not been for Merkley, whose brilliant slap pass to James McEwan at the side of the Oshawa net led to the tying goal with 55 seconds left in regulation and Herbst on the bench for the extra attacker.

Merkley is now off to the World Under-17 Challenge and will miss the Storm’s next six games.

“We had a pretty good weekend other than today,” said Ratcliffe. “We took our foot off the pedal in that second period and couldn’t find that extra step in the overtime. But overall it was a good weekend.”

Ratcliffe and linemate Givani Smith both had a goal and an assist for the Storm.

“Two big guys working down low,” Ratcliffe said. “Once Givani gets it down there nobody gets it off him and I’m really benefitting off that.

Guelph’s other goal came from Nic Sicoly.

The Storm led 3-0 after one period, spelling the end of Oshawa starting netminder Kyle Keyser, who was yanked in favour of Jeremy Brodeur to start the second.

The Generals responded with three unanswered goals in the second to make it a tie game heading to the third.

It was an odd night for Herbst in the Storm net.

He made a couple of brilliant pad saves in the first period but was then beaten on two goals from terrible angles in the second, then got tangled up behind the Storm net and never fully recovered on Oshawa’s fourth goal.

“It was a really disheartening goal. We can’t dance around that it was a bad goal, but I was proud of the way we rebounded after that and kept playing with a lot of energy,” Skalde said.

Guelph plays in Owen Sound Wednesday then hosts the Attack on Friday. Sunday sees Sault Ste. Marie in town.


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Tony Saxon

About the Author: Tony Saxon

Tony Saxon has had a rich and varied 30 year career as a journalist, an award winning correspondent, columnist, reporter, feature writer and photographer.
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