McDougall and Hurricanes steal game 1 from Siskins

Captain McFarlane congratulates McDougall

Hurricanes goalie Chris McDougall stopped 39 of 40 shots as Jake Weidner, Wade Pfeffer and Cam Jude scored to lift Guelph to a 3-1 road victory over Waterloo in game 1 of their GOJHL Best of Seven Quarter Final.

After a scoreless first Weidner put the Canes up 1-0 20 seconds in to the 2nd. (assists went to Zach Dion and Luca Penzo). Just under 3 minutes later Pfeffer put Guelph up 2-0. (the lone assist went to Blair Goss).

Waterloo got one back at the 6:27 mark of the 2nd, when Kevin Czuczman scored (assist went to Tony Blyde and Andrew Csumrik.

With the Siskins pressing, Guelph put the game away with Jude’s goal at 18:27 mark of the 3rd. (assists went to Tyson Theaker and Mike McFarlane).

Guelph now leads the series 1-0.

Game two will be played Saturday night at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph. Game time 7:30pm.

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.

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.

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.

Layoff work pays off for the Hurricanes

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

GUELPH – Work the Guelph Hurricanes did on both their power play and penalty killing during their two-week layoff paid off Saturday night.

The Hurricanes scored a pair of power-play goals in edging the Welland Canadians 4-3 in a shootout in Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League play at the Sleeman Centre. Guelph went 2-for-8 on the power play while Welland was 1-for-6.

“We took advantage of that practice time and it showed,” Guelph head coach Jim MacEachern said. “We took advantage of it. We worked our special teams. . . (and) we created more opportunities because of it.”

Kudla nets the Shootout winner

“We got to work on a new power play and a new penalty kill so I think it helped out in that aspect,” Martin Kudla said. The fifth shooter for the Hurricanes, he fittingly scored the overtime winner after being robbed of the opportunity of getting it late in the third period by the quick stick of Welland keeper Kari Rikkonen. “But it’s hard to take that time off with no games and then come back and play a game.”

On the shootout winner, Kudla faked a wrist shot before going to his backhander for the goal.

“I do that move a lot in practice so I just thought I’d go with it,” he said. “It works usually, so I thought I’d go with it right from the start.”

The win allowed the Hurricanes to climb out of their tie with the Kitchener Dutchmen for seventh in the eight-team Midwestern Conference.

Tyson Theaker, one of the few Hurricanes who can grow a beard, scored twice in regulation time and once in the shootout while Zach Dion had the other regulation-time goal for the Hurricanes. Theaker’s linemates Mike McFarlane and Nic MacEachern assisted on both of his goals while Luca Penzo also had an assist.

“I haven’t got a goal in a while so it felt good to get a couple,” Theaker said. “The puck was bouncing, the line was working hard.”

check out the rest of the article here: http://news.guelphmercury.com/Sports/article/577546

Siskins use Relentless Forecheck to down Hurricanes 4-2

Waterloo’s relentless forecheck kept the Hurricanes on their heals most of the night and this created many scoring chances for the Siskins in their 4-2 win over the Guelph Thursday night at The Sleeman Centre.

Guelph's Martin Kudla battles Waterloo's Kevin Henriques for the puck

Except for 10 minutes in the 2^nd period, the Siskins were aggressive in taking the play to the Hurricanes.  

If it wasn’t for the stellar goaltending by Chris McDougall who turned away 40 of 44 shots, the score of this game could have easily mirrored the score in their last outing when Waterloo beat Guelph 8-0.

In the opening period, Waterloo fired 24 shots at McDougall and jumped out to a 3-0 lead on goals by Scott Nagy, Ryan Dilks and Andrew Csumrik.

Tyson Theaker pulled the Hurricanes within 2 with a goal 17 seconds into the second period.

Waterloo’s Tony Blyde restored the Siskin’s 3 goal lead 2 and a half minutes later.

The score stayed 4-1 until Peter Soligo scored on shot from the point after Siskins goalie Will Sibley stopped Nic MacEachern and Mike McFarlane on a 2 on 0.

The Hurricanes pulled their goalie late in the game but couldn’t get another one past Sibley.

Final Score: Waterloo (now 18-5-0) 4, Guelph (now 8-16-2) 2

The Hurricanes take to the road for their next 2 games, Saturday in Cambridge and Sunday in Elmira.

Guelph’s next home game will be next Thursday December 3^rd against the league leading Brantford Golden Eagles. Game time is 7:45 pm.

Hurricanes KO’s Cullitons to extend Stratford’s losing streak to 10 games

Cohen Adair lays on the ice after a hard Hurricanes check. He would return to the game later.

A night after a 8-0 loss in Waterloo, the Guelph Hurricanes bounced back and posted a character win by beating  the slumping Stratford Cullitons 6-3.

“They showed a lot of character to come back after a tough loss last night. This club has a lot of heart and I am proud of them.” says Hurricanes Head Coach Jim MacEachern

The win moves Guelph’s record to 8-15-2 for 18pts., while the loss which was the 10th in a row for the Cullitons, moves Stratford’s record to 12-12-0 24pts..

Six Hurricanes players each collected 2 pts. (Luca Penzo, Dan Mohle, Martin Kudla, Mike McFarlane, Ken Rolph and Mike Iacocca) and Chris McDougall returned between the pipes to 28 of 31 shots.

• Although Chris McDougall’s rights were traded earlier this week from the Kitchener Rangers to the Peterborough Petes, he will remain playing with the Hurricanes for the time being.
• Also, I received word from the Hurricanes trainers that injured Kitchener Dutchmen defenceman Brant Nicolson was released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. Last week he crashed into the boards and was carried off on a stretcher.

The Hurricanes next game is this coming Thursday as they seek revenge from the Waterloo Siskins at The Sleeman Centre. Please note the game time is 7:45pm.

SCORING SUMMARY Period 1 Guelph – Ken Rolph (Cam Jude) 0:23 Stratford – Brad McClure (powerplay) (Tyler Masson, Brock Reynolds) 5:06 Period 2 Guelph – Mike Iacocca (Dan Mohle, Luca Penzo) 3:27 Stratford – Myles Melchers (powerplay) (Steve McParland, Jamie Nelson) 7:45 Period 3 Guelph – Tyson Theaker (powerplay) (Wade Pfeffer, Mike Iacocca) 0:53 Stratford – Tyler Masson (Jamie Nelson, Andrew Lorimer) 1:49 Guelph – Nic MacEachern (powerplay) (Ken Rolph, Dan Mohle) 4:52 Guelph – Mark Bell (Martin Kudla, Mike McFarlane) 6:01 Guelph – Luca Penzo (Martin Kudla, Mike McFarlane) 17:21

Dutchmen spoil Hurricanes party at Guaranteed Win Night

Chris MacDougall braces for the shot

According to the script, the Guelph Hurricanes were to earn their 8th victory of the season with a win over Kitchener. But unfortunately, someone forgot to inform the Dutchmen who defeated the Canes 5-3.

Kitchener jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first 4 minutes of the game.

They stretched that lead to 3-0 by the end of the first period.

The Hurricanes got one back in the second making it 3-1.

Each team exchanged a pair of goals in the 3rd, making it a 5-3 final.

SCORING SUMMARY

Period 1

Kitchener – Josh Mitton (Shane Bainbridge, Mark Scheifele) 3:18 Kitchener – Tanner DeWitt (powerplay) (Mark Scheifele, Shawn Bechtloff) 3:39 Kitchener – Lucas Tucciapone (Josh Mitton, Paul Sergi) 18:56

Period 2

Guelph – Ken Rolph (shorthanded) (Evan Jared, Cayle Creen) 13:36

Period 3

Kitchener – Josh Warner (Brandon Passley, Ryan Clarkson) 0:32 Guelph – Mike McFarlane (Wade Pfeffer, Nic MacEachern) 0:54 Kitchener – Ryan Clarkson (Brandon Passley, Josh Mitton) 5:23 Guelph – Mark Bell (powerplay) (Andrew Van Ooteghem, Connor Ste Marie) 18:24

Not only did the game feature several fights including a tilt where the Hurricanes Nic MacEachern (5-10 178lbs.) took on the Dutchmen’s Alex McCaffrey (6-3 246 lbs.) and held his own.

Trainers from both teams attend to Brant Nicolson

But the game also featured a scary scene where Dutchmen’s defenceman Brant Nicolson bolted out of the penalty box after a loose puck in the Hurricanes end lost an edge and fell ackwardly head first into the boards.

The trainers from both teams were quickly on the scene (which reminded me of the Rangers Ben Fanelli injury a couple of weeks ago).

Based on the fact that he hit his head the trainers and EMS staff were cautious and treated Brant as if he had a spinal injury.

The game was delayed 20 minutes as he was taken to hospital for further tests.

Although the game didn’t turn out as the script maker would have liked it to be, The Hurricanes made good on their promise by giving free tickets to an upcoming game to fans that purchased their tickets at the game.

The next Hurricanes game is Friday Nov. 20th when Guelph travels to Waterloo to take on the Siskins.

Then the following night, Saturday Nov. 21st the Hurricanes host the Stratford Cullitons. Game time is 7:30 pm at the Sleeman Centre.