The first game back after the Christmas break is usually not something to write home about. Sloppy, sluggish and lacking intensity and timing.
So the 4,868 in attendance at the Sleeman Centre got a bit of a treat Thursday night, as the Guelph Storm played a crisp, structured and entertaining game in a well-earned 3-1 win over the Erie Otters.
"It's always a tricky game coming back off the break," Storm coach Chad Wiseman said. "Usually they're sloppier games than what we saw here tonight.
"I thought our habits were good and I thought our details were strong, especially in the third period."
Charlie Paquette scored what proved to be the winning goal late in the first period, making it 2-0 at the time, Brayden Gillespie was rock solid in net and the Storm killed off all six Erie power plays.
"The penalty kill was great," Wiseman said."We gave up too many power plays, but we defended well, we blocked shots and I thought the shift changes on the kill were good, but we can't be in the box that much."
Michael Buchinger was credited with Guelph's first goal, a power play shot from the point that the players on the ice thought Jake Karabela tipped in as he led the parade back to the bench for the fist bumps. Max Namestnikov iced the win on a nice set up from Braeden Bowman late in the third.
"It's a team effort, it was all eight guys going and different units, guys filling in for different people," said Storm defenceman Tommy Budnick.
The Storm was also engaged in a couple of late-game scraps, as Ryan McGuire took exception to a hard hit along the boards and engaged Erie's Spencer Sova, then Buchinger got into a rare fight, dropping the gloves with Sam Alfano who had swiped away Gillespie's trapper that had come off in a goalmouth scramble.
"Great fight from Miggsy and great fight from Buch. Those are the ones we'll kill off and we'll bond together as a team and I think that's what will take us far in the playoffs," Budnick said.
Wiseman wasn't quite as excited about the late-game fights, particularly McGuire's, seeing as the Storm forward got the instigator that put his team down a man while holding on to a 2-1 lead at the time.
"We've got to be smarter. We've got a one goal lead. I understand that our players want to protect one another and you respect and appreciate that, but there's a time and a place for that."
Guelph has a rare Friday off before playing in Flint on Saturday and Niagara on Sunday. Next home game is Friday when Sault Ste. Marie visits.
