The Guelph Storm beat the Kitchener Rangers in a game that wasn’t very physical but had a lot of emotion.
Charlie Paquette contributed to the positive emotion for the Storm by scoring two goals, including the game-winning goal, in a 5-4 win over the Rangers in Ontario Hockey League action on Sunday at Sleeman Centre.
This win was significant for the Storm (30-27-6-1) as they are competing with the Erie Otters, Flint Firebirds, and the Owen Sound Attack for fifth place in the OHL’s western conference.
“We’ve had some games during that difficult period where we lost three or four late or in overtime,” said Storm head coach Chad Wiseman. “To be able to reset in the second period and respond the way we did in the third and be rewarded is a huge confidence boost for our group.”
Kitchener (41-22-2-0) seemed to have scored first in the first period when Antonio Pugliese shot the puck past Guelph netminder Damian Slavik (26 saves). But it was disallowed after a video review showed the Rangers were offside before the goal.
The Storm gained the momentum after that decision. Paquette and Jake Karabella scored 29 seconds apart in the first period, giving Guelph a 2-0 lead.
The Rangers responded with three consecutive goals in the second period by Tanner Lam, Luca Romano, and Carson Rehkopf to take a 3-2 lead. But Gavin Grundner tied it up again for the Storm at the 12:29 mark, and 1:28 later Cam Allen deflected one off the skate of Rangers defender Carson Campbell to put Guelph up 4-3.
“I think it's important not to get too high when things are going well and not get too low when they’re not,” said Paquette about handling the shifts in momentum. “We all believe that we can hold our lead when we’re ahead.”
Simon Motew tied the game for Kitchener at the 9:31 mark of the third period. Then Max Namestnikov forced a turnover in the Rangers’ end, and Paquette scored his second goal of the game with 1:32 left in the regulation to put the Storm ahead for good.
“It feels good to score a couple of goals, but it feels even better to get the two points,” Paquette said.
The Storm managed to win despite falling down while trying to skate, losing possession of the puck, and failing to make clean passes. There were also some questionable calls and non-calls. But Wiseman liked the way his team handled the challenges.
“At the end of the day, we need to be playing better hockey, and we are,” he said. “Our last four or five games have been strong, and we had a chance to win every game we played.”
Guelph did not have any power play opportunities, while Kitchener did not score on three chances with the man advantage.
The same two teams will play again on Tuesday night, this time at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. You can listen to the game on 1460 CJOY, with the pre-game show beginning at 6:45 p.m.
