OWEN SOUND - When it rains it pours on the Guelph Storm.
Already missing key players Cam Hillis and Jack Hanley with lengthy injuries, the Storm lost its hottest forward Wednesday night when Pavel Gogolev slid into the end boards during the first period of a 3-2 loss to the Owen Sound Attack.
Gogolev, who had eight points in four games since arriving in Guelph as part of the Ryan Merkley deal, left the ice on a stretcher and was taken to hospital.
X-rays determined he had a fractured ankle. He will see a surgeon in Guelph on Thursday to determine if surgery is necessary.
"It doesn't look particularly positive though," said Storm coach/GM George Burnett before getting word the ankle was fractured.
Gogolev was racing toward the end boards for a loose puck when he and an Attack defender made contact, sending him to the ice and sliding hard into the boards.
"I thought he was pushed a little bit from behind and went in awkwardly. He couldn't put any weight on it and was in a lot of pain," Burnett said.
The Storm was already shorthanded, even using overage forward Dom Commisso as an emergency fill-in on the blue line to go with three 16 year olds.
Burnett has been trying to acquire another defenceman but it hasn't been easy.
He said he thinks that when a couple of big deals involving players currently at the World Juniors become official, then other deals will fall into place.
"Once one (trade) happens I think you'll see a few things happen," Burnett said.
Asked if teams have raised the price because they know the Storm is desperate for a defenceman, Burnett said "the price is going to be high at this time of year anyway, and we understand that."
Wednesday's loss snapped the Storm's five-game winning streak.
Kevin Hancock scored all three goals for the Attack, including the winner on the power play at 10:07 of the third period, which made it 3-1 at the time.
The Storm made things very interesting when Alexey Toropchenko scored with the goaltender on the bench for the extra attacker with 2:22 left in regulation.
Guelph had several excellent scoring chances as the clock wound down but were either rebuffed by Attack goaltender Mack Guzda or just missed the net.
"A lot of guys that play a lot of key minutes are getting knocked off right now and we're relying on a lot of young guys," said Storm captain Isaac Ratcliffe, who had the other Storm goal.
In addition to the three injuries, the team's top defenceman, Dmitri Samorukov, is away at the World Juniors.
Guelph had five rookies in the lineup Wednesday night.
"Those kids play the first half of the season playing five or six minutes a night then all of a sudden they're playing 10 or 12 minutes a night and it's tough on them. But they're doing a great job and taking advantage of the opportunity, even the call-ups," Ratcliffe said.
The loss leaves the Storm in fifth place in the Western Conference standings, three points back of the Saginaw Spirit and two points up on the Attack. Guelph has a game in hand on both those teams.
The Storm hosts Windsor on Friday and North Bay on Sunday.
