Overtime and shootouts don't get much attention during practice, but that might change for the Guelph Storm.
An excellent effort by the Storm was spoiled by a loss in the shootout Saturday at the Sleeman Centre as the Storm fell 2-1.
London's first two shooters in that shootout scored, Guelph first two shooters were stopped.
It was the third time this season that the Storm has lost a shootout, tops in the Ontario Hockey League. They have also lost three times in overtime, which is tied for most, giving them six points squandered in total.
The Storm has scored on just two of 16 shootout opportunities this season.
"I like the way we played, but we've got to figure out the overtime and the shootout," Storm coach George Burnett said. "We had a good start at that in the beginning of the season but we haven't been lately and it's cost us some points."
While teams often do a shootout at the end of practice, overtime doesn't usually get worked on that much, but Burnett said it might need to be given Guelph's results of late.
"I would say that we don't do a lot of it, but we're going to do a lot more of it," Burnett said.
"I really just want to encourage the guys that when they go in there (on the shootout) to make a hard play, make a hard decision. If you're shooting, shoot it hard. If you're making a deke, do it hard."
Antonio Stranges and Alex Formenton scored for London, Isaac Ratcliffe and Cam Hills came up short for the Storm.
"They're a fast team, probably the best team were going to face this year, but we shut them down until that one goal late in the third," Ratcliffe said.
"We're happy with our effort. Big games like this against strong teams really call on everyone ... unfortunately we just came up a little short."
It was a crappy ending for the Storm to what was otherwise a stellar effort.
Barret Kirwin's second period goal, his third in two games after going 20 without a goal, looked like it might might stand up as the game winner as time wound down.
But Liam Foudy's backhand in tight with 2:52 left in regulation beat Storm goaltender Anthony Popovich to set up the bonus hockey in a game being broadcast by Sportsnet.
Both teams had excellent chances in overtime, but both goaltenders maintained the brilliance shown in regulation. Popovich made 37 saves and his London counterpart Jordan Kooy made 33.
The Storm again played without Nate Schnarr and Mark Wooley (both lower body injuries). Schnarr is day-to-day and Woolley is having tests done on Tuesday.
The Storm plays three-in-three next weekend, hosting the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Friday then hitting the road for games in Barrie and North Bay.
