Hurricanes/Siskins game one tonight in Waterloo

from: http://www.waterloocronicle.ca

Siskins finish second in regular season, face Guelph Hurricanes in first round

By Greg MacDonald, Chronicle Staff, Sports, Mar 03, 2010

 

After setting regular season franchise records for wins and goals against, the second-place Waterloo Siskins will start its playoff campaign with a first round matchup against the Guelph Hurricanes.The Siskins fell 7-5 to the Brantford Golden Eagles on Saturday and the victory clinched first for Brantford, the reigning champs.

That set up the Siskins’ matchup with the Guelph Hurricanes, the No. 7 seed.

Before the Brantford matchup, Siskins head coach Dean DeSilva said it was a measuring stick. So how did the team stack up?

“We’re happy where we are,” DeSilva said.

Brantford still has the depth and tenacity that made them champs last year, but the Siskins can challenge, DeSilva said.

“Both teams match up very well with each other,” he said.

Even though the Siskins didn’t clinch first place in the Midwestern Conference of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, they did set a number of team marks.

December’s 17-game-win streak was record setting on its own, but it also lead to the Siskins notching the most wins in a season ever in the team’s 75-year history.

The team also set a mark for the fewest goals-against the club has ever seen.

While those records are nice, they’ve been pushed to the side for now, DeSilva said.

“We reflected on them for about 30 seconds,” he said. “We congratulated the players but also reminded them that all the records mean nothing if we don’t continue the success into the playoffs.”

With their first oppoent set, DeSilva and the coaching staff have two days to get the team prepared for the Hurricanes.

Waterloo won six of the seven games against the Hurricanes this season.

The head-to-record record points to a clear advantage for Waterloo, but DeSilva said it’s important not to look past the Hurricanes.

Coach MacEachern has his boys ready for playoffs

“I know head coach Jim MacEachern and I know how hard he has his guys working,” DeSilva said. “He’s got them playing very well.

“The message for our team is that we have to focus on ourselves.”

There will be a quick turnaround for the Siskins. The team played its final game of the season Sunday — a 2-0 win against the Kitchener Dutchmen — and the playoffs will begin Wednesday.

“We have a few bumps and bruises we’re working through, but I think with it being the playoffs, we can bring the energy and a spark,” the coach said.

The Siskins have aspirations beyond the first round and are looking to play to their strengths.

Goaltending has been a major strength for the Siskins, but the Hurricanes haven’t had as much trouble as other squads getting the puck past netminder duo Colin Breen and Will Sibley.

That means the players in front of the goalie will have to step up to ensure a first-round victory.

All that matters now is the win, DeSilva said.

“The regular season is great individual honours but now it’s all about the team,” he said.

The Siskins take on the Guelph Hurricanes in Game 1 tonight at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex at 7:30 p. m.

Hurricanes dropped 6-4 by WinterHawks

from: http://www.guelphhurricanes.com

CANES FALL TO WINTERHAWKS

The Cambridge Winterhawks continued their dominance over the Guelph Hurricanes with a 6-4 win last night at the Sleeman Centre. However, the final outcome doesn’t reflect how the Hurricanes played. Those in attendance would tell you that the Canes played well enough to win that game.

Jude, Bell, Goss and Pfeffer return to the bench after scoring

The Canes dominated the first period with 3 goals by Brandon Anselmini, Cam Jude and Mike Iacocca. Jude scored the prettiest goal of the night when Blair Goss took the puck into the Cambridge zone and laid a perfect pass on Cam’s stick.

The second period was well played with some great chances on both ends. The game was tied late in the second when an innocent looking clear in pass took a crazy bounce over Drew Pegrum’s stick and found the open net to put the WinterHawks up 4-3.

Early in the 3rd Nic MacEachern restored the lead with a nice goal set up by Connor Ste Marie and Mike McFarlane. The game see sawed back and forth before the Hawks scored with less than 5 minutues in the game to take the lead. The Canes took a rare penalty with less than a mnute left to put the Hawks on the powerplay which led to their final goal. The game was very clean with Cambridge picking up 3 minors all to the same player. Guelph took 4 minors.

The final 2 regular season games will played on the road tonight in Listowel and Saturday in Cambridge.

Play offs will start next week either in Brantford or Waterloo. Our home dates will be announced later this week end.

The GOJHL – MidWestern banquet goes this Monday in Stratford.

Drew Pegrum called up to Storm

from: http://www.guelphmercury.com

Back woes ground Storm goaltender

February 03, 2010, Tony Saxon,  tsaxon@guelphmercury.com

GUELPH — Guelph Storm goaltender Cody St. Jacques could be done for the season.

St. Jacques flew home to Iroquois Falls last weekend to have an MRI on his ailing back in nearby Timmins and the results weren’t good.

“I’ve got two herniated discs and one bulging disc,” St. Jacques said in street clothes from rinkside Wednesday as his teammates practiced at the Sleeman Centre.

“They told me I have early degenerative discs, which is extremely rare for a 19 year old. My dad’s side of the family always had back problems, so I’m not surprised there was a problem with the discs, but I was surprised how bad it was.”

St. Jacques is waiting for an appointment with a surgeon in Hamilton who will evaluate how bad things are and whether or not he can do any more damage to his back.

“Until then I won’t be on the ice or doing anything too physical,” he said.

St. Jacques has played in 26 games for the Storm this season but hasn’t seen any game action since Jan. 2.

Pegrum will play with the Storm this weekend

The Storm had four goaltenders on the ice yesterday. Brandon Foote was joined by James Prigione, Guelph Hurricanes goaltender Drew Pegrum and Guelph Storm midget AA goaltender Joe Drexler, who backed up Foote in Owen Sound last Saturday.

With Prigione having starting netminding duties with the junior B Listowel Cyclones this weekend, it will be Pegrum that gets the nod as the backup for this weekend’s three-game Eastern Ontario swing to Kingston, Belleville and Ottawa.

Pegrum becomes the sixth goaltender to dress for the Storm this season. He has split this season with Listowel and Guelph at the junior B level, compiling a 7-7-0-1 record and 4.11 goals-against average.

He recently made headlines by scoring in a game against the Waterloo Siskins.

View the rest of the story here: http://news.guelphmercury.com/Sports/article/594381

*********

The Hurricanes wish Drew success with the Storm.

The Hurricanes next game is this Saturday night (7:30 pm) at Victoria Road Arena when they take on the Waterloo Siskins.  This will be the final regular season meeting between these two teams. There is a strong possiblity that they will meet in the first round of the playoffs.

Third period goals sink Canes

from http://www.guelphhurricanes.com

CULLITONS STAGE COMEBACK

The Guelph Hurricanes still high after upsetting the Waterloo Siskins last weekend were fast out of the gate tonight.  Powerplay goals by their leading scorer Tyson Theaker(14) (Mike McFarlane and Mike Iacocca) and Cayle Creen(3)(McFarlane) for a 2-0 lead. Everything was working well and the boys looked set for a second straight win.

With 19 seconds left in the 1st period, a lucky bounce, a Culliton forward in the right place and bang they score and its 2-1. The Cullitons leave the ice on a high and the Canes go to the room wondering what just happened. 

Wade Pfeffer blocks a Kyle Roes shot

It was Stratford’s turn to start fast in the second. Goalie Chris McDougall made some good saves before Tyson Avery beat him to tie up the game. The rest of the period featured some spirited play by both teams but no real scoring chances.

The 3rd period started slow but the Cullitons Brad McClure did his Sydney Crosby impression and scored 2 beauty goals in the space of 12 seconds. Guelph called a timeout to talk it over and settle everyone down. Less then a minute later the Cullitons scored again to put the game out of reach. Stratford had scored 3 goals in the space of one minute and four seconds to dash the hopes of a Hurricane 2 game win streak.

Next game for the Canes is next Saturday, January 30 when they face the red hot Elmira Sugar Kings at Victoria Road. Game time is 7:30.

Brantford Coach’s take on Saturday’s game

Here is Brantford’s point of view to Saturday night’s game along with video highlights of the game: http://www.brantnews.com/sports.cfm?page=sports&section=read&articleId=6476

Brantford’s coach Scott Rex describes the back story to this rough game.

Guelph’s next game is this Thursday Jan. 14th, when they take on the Cambridge Winter Hawks, 7:45 pm at the Sleeman Centre.

Note: This is the fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity.

Hurricanes have rough night in Brantford

from http://www.GuelphHurricanes.com

GOLDEN EAGLES BOUNCE BACK

You could tell it was going to be one of those nights in Brantford when defenseman Peter Soligo was challenged to a fight during the warm-up. The Guelph coaches did a good job of settling our boys down and getting them ready for the real game. The fight did happen early in the 1st and Soligo handled himself very well but the bottom line was that the Canes were down another defenseman. Zach Dion was already a scratch because of an injury sufered the night before in Waterloo.

Weidner and the Canes vs. Brantford

The Canes used that energy and scored the 1st goal with Jake Weidner notching his 3rd on a powerplay with an assist from Mike Iacocca. Guelph ended the period with a 2-1 lead when Lucas Penzo(4) scored a second power play goal with assists from Brandon Anselmni and Nic McEachern. Thats the good news.

The bad news was the 2-1 1st period lead woke up the Golden Eagles. Brantford came out swarming in the 2nd and scored in the 1st minute of play then added 2 more goals to take the lead.

The one bright spot in the period was a beautiful solo effort by McEachern(6). His goal made the score 4-3 and gave Guelph some energy. However, on the ensuing faceoff the Golden Eagles scored to regain a 2 goal lead. They ended up scoring the last 6 goals to put the game away.

Final Score Branford 10, Guelph 3

Guelph’s next game is Thursday, January 14th when  they host the Cambridge WinterHawks at the Sleeman Center. This game is a fundraiser for Habitat Humanity Cancer Awareness. Come on out, bring the family and support Cancer Awareness.

Pegrum’s 38 saves not enough for Canes

Pegrum stops 38 Waterloo shots

Despite Drew Pegrum’s 38 save performance the Guelph Hurricanes (11-20-4 26 pts.) still lost 5-2 in Waterloo (28-5-0 56 pts.) versus the Siskins Friday night.

Waterloo outshot Guelph (43-23 ) and received a great offensive night  from forward Matt Reid (3 goals + 1 assist) and goalie Will Sibley picked up his 4th win this season against Guelph.

Martin Kudla and Mike Iacocca both scored Powerplay goals for the Canes.

Guelph’s next action is tomorrow night when they travel to Brantford to take on the Golden Eagles, before they return home next Thursday (Jan. 14th) on Habitat for Humanity night vs. the Cambridge Winter Hawks. Game Time 7:45 at the Sleeman Centre

Tough weekend ahead for Hurricanes

The Guelph Hurricanes (11-19-4 26 pts.) have a tough weekend ahead as they first travel to Waterloo to take on the 2nd Place (27-5-0 54 pts.) Siskins Friday night.

Siskins Wil Sibley has beaten Guelph 3 times

The Siskins have been winning with top notch goaltending and tough checking. They have a balanced  attack. In the previous 4 tilts, Waterloo has come out on top, 5-4, 5-3, 8-0 and 4-2. Three key factors that Guelph needs to do to win are:

1. Shoot !(early and often) The Canes have averaged 27.75 shots per game vs. Waterloo.  Waterloo’s goaltenders have a save % of .923. This translates into 2 goals against. So if they want to increase their goals, they need to increase the number of shots.

2. Stay out of the penalty box! Waterloo has converted 18.09% of their Powerplays (6th in GOJHL).

3. Get Solid goaltending! Attention Chris McDougall… pretend we are playing Stratford.

After battling with the Siskins, Guelph travels to the Bell City to take on the take on the 1st Place Brantford Golden Eagles (28-4-3 59 pts.) on Saturday night.

McQuade leads the GOJHL scoring with 103 pts.

 Two Brantford players that have killed the Canes this season are goaltender Daryl Borden (26-4 2.51 GAA) and Josh McQuade, who leads the league in scoring with 103 pts. (40 goals and 63 assists)

The Golden Eagles sport the GOJHL’s leading Penalty Kill with 89.95% , including 20 shorthanded goals.

Two keys to victory in this game are:

1. Hit them, hit them and then hit them again. This is a run-and-gun finese team that the Hurricanes can upset if they keep laying the body on them.

2. Neutralize Josh McQuade. McQuade has scored 7 goals and 2 assists in 3 games vs. Guelph, including 2 hat tricks. How do they do that….read point #1. Oh and when they hit them, do it cleanly, because Brantford also has the #4 PowerPlay in the GOJHL converting on 23.66% of  them.

One more key factor in both these games.

If Guelph remains in 7th or 8th in the standings at the end of the regular season, it is likely that they will either face Brantford or Waterloo in the first round of the playoffs.

New Netminder gets the call for the Hurricanes

from http://www.guelphmercury.com by Rob Massey

GUELPH — After a couple of weeks of practising with the Guelph Hurricanes, Drew Pegrum will get his first start in net with the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League team.

“It’ll be great to get a game in this weekend,” Pegrum said.

Hurricanes goalie Drew Pegrum

Pegrum was part of the Hurricanes’ blockbuster deal with the Listowel Cyclones that saw them send top scorers Dan Mohle and Ken Rolph to the Cyclones for youngsters Blair Goss and Jake Weidner. Pegrum came to Guelph a week later after Listowel acquired goaltender Brock Hansell from the Thorold Black Hawks.

“We ended up sending two 20-year-olds up there and we got two 17-year-olds and an 18-year-old back,” Hurricanes head coach Jim MacEachern said. “The goal here is to get younger. That’s what we’re trying to do. We have until Jan. 10th and if something else comes up, we might take advantage of that, too.”

Pegrum has a 4-5-0-1 record this season, with two of his wins coming against the Hurricanes. He has a 4.29 goals-against average and a .876 save percentage. He played five games in September and two early in October before hurting his left knee. He’s played three games since Oct. 10 – a win over Guelph, a loss to Brantford and a shootout loss to Kitchener – as Guelph native James Prigione, a veteran with the Cyclones, increased his playing time.

“I was playing a bunch at the start of the season and I got injured,” Pegrum said. “Prigione stepped up when I was injured and he started playing really good, so he got a lot of time after that.”

Pegrum said his knee is fine now.

“It’s better now,” he said. “It’s been strong for about four weeks.”

With the Hurricanes, Pegrum is expected to be the main backup to Chris McDougall, who has appeared in 19 of Guelph’s 31 games. McDougall will get the start Saturday night against the Welland Canadians at the Sleeman Centre while Pegrum will get the call Sunday afternoon against the Dutchmen in Kitchener.

“Chris is our No. 1, I’m not going to deny that,” MacEachern said. “Again, we’ve got to look out for the future. I would expect and I would hope that Doogs (McDougall) is playing for the Peterborough Petes next year. Drew is going to go as much as Doogs here. When we get into the playoffs or down the stretch, I’ll probably go with the guy who is hot.”

Until then, it’ll be a rotation of sorts, likely with McDougall getting two starts for every one that Pegrum gets.

Read the rest of the article here: http://news.guelphmercury.com/Sports/article/577393

Theaker leads Hurricanes past Canadians on Minor Hockey Night

Just days after scoring in the Midwestern All-Star game Tyson Theaker scored 2 goals in regulation time and added another in the shootout to lead the Hurricanes to a 4-3 victory over the visiting Welland Canadians last night (Guelph Minor Hockey night) at the Sleeman Centre.

Theaker scores for the Hurricanes

Just hours after #9 Matt Sisca scored the game winning goal for the Guelph Storm over the Plymouth Whalers, #9 Martin Kudla scored the shootout winner for the Hurricanes.

The win is the 10th of the season for the Hurricanes and 2nd in their last 3 games and it moves Guelph into 7th place in the Midwestern Conference 2 pts. ahead of the Kitchener Dutchmen.

The Hurricanes next game is in Kitchener against the Dutchmen at 2:00 pm. This is the last one before the Christmas break. 

Guelph’s next home game will be Saturday January 2nd when they host the Dutchmen at Victoria Road Arena. The puck drops at 7:30 pm.

Thomas, Brett and Connor enjoy the game on Guelph Minor Hockey night

Alexander, Andrew and Branden cheer on the Hurricanes