Saturday May 17, 2014

The Guelph Storm skated to a convincing 5-2 win against the Edmonton Oil Kings on day two of the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup.

The Storm were led by their left wingers on this night, as Kerby Rychel and Tyler Bertuzzi both tallied two goals each, while Brock McGinn added another goal, instrumental in getting that all important first win.

“You’re guaranteed an extra game now,” said Rychel, a Columbus Blue Jackets first round draft pick who led the OHL in playoff scoring. “You can kind of relax a little bit and you’re not chasing the eight ball.”

The win marks the first victory for the OHL Champion Guelph Storm in their last seven MasterCard Memorial Cup games dating back to 2002 when they were the host team before going winless in the 2004 event in Kelowna.

A physical first period led to a late Storm goal as Rychel scored a power play tally with just 4.2 seconds left beating Edmonton Oil Kings goalie and Pittsburgh Penguin prospect Tristan Jarry on the blocker side.

The Oil Kings bounced back early in the second period getting goals from Phoenix Coyote draft pick Henrik Samuelsson and then Ashton Sautner, just 27 seconds apart.

A lucky goal for the Storm, while shorthanded, would turn the tides as Oil Kings forward Mads Eller’s clearing attempt bounced off of Rychel, then Jarry, and into the net at the 7:40 mark of the second to tie the game at two.

The Storm would add one more goal in the second period and two more in the third to put the game out of reach.

“I thought we were a little bit nervous at first and weren’t skating as well as we can,” said Guelph Storm Head Coach Scott Walker. “I will say I liked the resilience of the bench, we weren’t getting frustrated. We were sticking to the game plan.”

While the Storm took advantage of their man advantages going 2-for-3 on the power play, the Oil Kings would finish 0-for-5.

“We gave up two power play goals and we didn’t score on the power play, so special teams really let us down,” said Edmonton Oil Kings Head Coach Derek Laxdal. “We have to figure that out pretty quick here.”

While the Storm have a day off before they face QMJHL Champion Val-d’Or Foreurs on Monday, the Oil Kings have less than 24 hours to regroup as they take on the host London Knights with both clubs aiming for their first win on Sunday at 7:00pm EDT on Sportsnet.

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