Hurricanes drop a close one to Cyclones in OT

from http://www.guelphhurricanes.com

CANES LOSE IN OVERTIME

The atmosphere inside the Ice Palace was hot for a couple of hours as the Hurricanes and Cyclones put on one of the most entertaining, exciting games of the season. The Cyclones prevailed in overtime 4-3 but were pushed to the limit by the hard working Canes.

Chris McDougall covers the puck

Listowel struck first with former Cane Dan Mohle chipping a loose puck into the net for a 1-0 first period lead. The Cyclones struck again before the Canes went to work. Tyson Theaker(17) scored from Mike McFarlane and Nic MacEachern making the score 2-1 entering the 3rd period.

The Canes came out flying in the 3rd and put pressure on Guelph native Jim Prigione. Prigone made a number of excellent saves before Luca Penzo(5) beat him with a power play goal to tie the game. Martin Kudla and Mike Iaccoca assisted on the goal. Canes kept up the pressure until McFarlane(10) with assists from Theaker and Wade Pfeffer put the Canes up 3-2.

Now it was McDougall’s turn to shine in the Canes net and he did. He made a number of excellent saves to keep the Canes in the lead. But with the Canes in control and less than 2 minutes left lighting struck. Former Hurricane Ken Rolph stole the puck in the offensive zone, walked in on McDougall and scored sending the game into overtime.

An ill-advised retailiation penalty with less than a minute left in regulation gave the Cyclones the man advantage heading into overtime. Fergus resident Eric Dekkers scored right off the face-off with a blast that caught McDougall off guard to send the Listowel fans home happy.

The one point puts the Canes in a dead heat with the Kitchener Dutchmen setting up their upcomng game on Tuesday in Kitchener.

The Canes have 4 games left in the regular season with the lone home game being next Thursday Feb 25th at the the Sleeman Centre vs. the Cambridge WinterHawks. Game time is 7:45 p.m.

Hurricanes beat Sugar Kings in OT

from http://www.guelphhurricanes.com

CANES WIN A NAILBITER 4-3

Excitement was the order of the night as the Guelph Hurricanes and the Elmira Sugar Kings treated a good Hockey Day crowd to a thrill packed game. The Ice Palace was frigid as usual but the action inside was red hot.

Pegrum Glove the Puck to help Grab the Win

It looked like another typical Canes/Sugar Kings duel featuring excellent goaltending by Drew Pegrum and his counterpart former Cane Brendon Gorecki.

Speedy Martin Kudla(13) broke the ice when he broke in on Gorecki and made a nifty move to put the Canes on top 1-0. Brad Kraus tied it up with a laser beam only to have Nic MacEachern(7) do his Sydney Crosby impression to regain the lead 2-1. It stayed that way until captain Mike McFarlane(7) scored a powerplay goal with help from Luca Penzo and Mike Iacocca.

With another 3-1, 3rd period lead it looked like the Canes were headed for another disappointing loss when Elmira scored twice late in the 3rd on goals by Parent and LeBlanc to send the game to overtime.

Mid way through the overtime period defensive wizard Jake Weidner stole the puck at the Canes blueline and sped down the wing. Weidner threaded a perfect pass to Zach Dion(6) in front of the Kings net who finished the play off with a perfect shot to win the game 4-3.

Check out the Hurricanes facebook page http://www.facebook.com/guelphhurricanes and look at over 150 pictures that Richard Elmes took at the game last night.

Next Canes action is Saturday, February 6 at the Victoria Road Arena when they face the Waterloo Siskins. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

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.

Former Dominator backstops Sugar Kings to 2-1 win over Hurricanes

from http://www.guelphhurricanes.com

GORECKI STOPS FORMER TEAM

One of Gorecki's 43 saves

Former Guelph Dominator goalie Brendan Gorecki came back to haunt his previous teammates by stopping 43 shots to put up a 2-1 win for his new team the Elmira Sugar Kings.

Not to be outdone Hurricanes goalie Chris McDougall had an awesome game as well keeping the Canes close with a number of great saves.

The fans were treated to another exciting fast paced game. The Canes were all over the Kings in the 3rd period and came close on a number of attempts hitting a post, a crossbar and save after save by Gorecki. In all he faced 23 shots in the 3rd. The Canes thought they had scored twice only to have the net come off on the 1st attempt and with 0.4 seconds left. The refs met, discussed and finally decided the goal didn’t count sending the hometown faithful away disappointed but encouraged by the play of the young Hurricane squad.

Captain Mike MacFarland scored his 6th of the season from Tyson Theaker and Cayle Creen.

The Canes travel to Waterloo Sunday for a 1:30 start then host the Stratford Cullitons at the Victoria Road Arena on January 23rd. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Winterhawks score early to defeat Hurricanes on Habitat for Humanity night

from http://www.guelphhurricanes.com

WINTERHAWKS START FAST

 The Cambridge Winterhawks found a way to take the larger than normal Hurricane crowd out of the game early. They scored at the 9 second mark. That goal stopped the eager Canes dead in their tracks and it took a while for them to get into the groove. Once they did it was a very exciting game.

The final score was 4-1 but it was really a 2-1 game. It was fast entertaining and had everything a charity hockey game should.

Ray Scapinello, Paul Henderson, Paul's wife and GOJHL President Shawn McKelvie during the Ceremonial faceoff

The ladies from Habitat for Humanity put on quite a show. They had hockey Hall of Famers Paul Henderson, yes that Henderson, Local hero Ray Scampinello and their wives drop the puck as part of the opening ceremonies. Mid Western head honcho Shawn McKelvie also took part.

The ladies had autographed sweaters, sticks, pucks, t-shirts, Tim Hortons stuff, Pizza prizes and a pair of Platinum Tickets to a Raptor game. Throw in Magic FM morning duo Kevin and Jennifer doing the announcing and you have an awesome night of entertainment.

The hockey game provided lots of excitement as the Hurricanes fought back after the bad start and created a number of great scoring opportunites only to be denied by the goaltending of Jeff Flager.

After the shaky start goaltender Chris McDougall settled down and made some outstanding saves to keep the Canes close. Guelph’s young defense played well including 16 year olds Daniel Cotroneo and Brandon Anselmini who are getting more ice time as their play improves.

A goal by Jake Weidner made the score 2-1 and it stayed that way until the 10:00 minute mark of the third when a defensive giveaway led to the Hawks 3rd goal. They later added an empty net goal to make the final score 4-1.

The Canes next game is this Saturday (Jan 16th) at the Sleeman Centre when they face off with the Elmira Sugar Kings. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

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.

Trio of Cyclones hit Storm line-up tonight

The Guelph Storm lineup featured a trio of Listowel Cyclones Tuesday night’s in a 4-2 loss to the London Knights.

Mac Nichol made his OHL debut Tuesday night for the Storm

Ryan Horvat and Mac Nichol made their OHL debuts, joining Guelph native James Prigione who made his debut last year.  Prigione, played one game last season picking up a home win versus the Peterborough Petes on Friday, January 30th.

Horvat wore #15, collected one assist (on Vadim Guskov’s first OHL goal) and was a plus one, Nichol who wore #2 played steady defence and Prigione who wore #34 backed up starter Cody St. Jacques.

In 25 games with the Cylones this season, Nichol has 3 goals and 10 assists along with 24 penalty minutes.

Horvat has played 33 games this season with Listowel collecting 7 goals and 9 assists for 16 points along with 35 penalty minutes.

In 23 appearances, Prigione owns a 15-8-0-0 record with a 2.81 GAA and 0.914 save percentage.

Also a reminder that the Guelph Hurricanes next home game is this Saturday January 2nd, when the Canes take on the Kitchener Dutchmen at Victoria Road Arena. This is one of 5 games this season (due to scheduling conflicts) that the Hurricanes will play at their old stomping grounds Vic Road. Come out and cheer on the Canes as they look to make it 3 wins in their last 4 games. Game time is 7:30 pm.

McDougall Steals Win as Hurricanes beat Listowel 2-1

from http://www.guelphhurricanes.com

MCDOUGALL STEALS WIN

McDougall stops 50 of 51 shots

Hurricanes goaltender, Chris McDougall has played well all season. Last night in Listowel was maybe his best game so far. Kicking out 50 of 51 shots and with the GM of the OHL Peterborough Petes in the crowd McDougall put on another goaltender clinic.

Jim Prigione the Cyclones goalie also played well only allowing goals by Jake Weidner(2) and Connor Ste Marie. Collecting assists were Daniel Cotroneo and Mike McFarland.

For the 3rd consecutive game the Canes were full measure for the win. They played hard for a full 60 minutes and carried the play at different times in the game.

This was the front end of a home and home series with the Cyclones and the 1st game between the 2 teams since the trade.

Tomorow night sees the return of Dan Mohle and Ken Rolph at the Sleeman Center. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Remember to bring the kids, because for each adult admission purchased up to 4 children ages 0-13 can get in Free.