It’s familiar territory for the Guelph Storm and North Bay Battalion on Friday Night Hockey.
The Storm lead the Ontario Hockey League Championship series 3-1 with the chance to win their first J. Ross Robertson Cup title in franchise history on Friday. Guelph has not played a sixth game in any of its first three matchups, winning each series in five.
“We can’t sit back; we have to continue to push our players and they have to push each other,” said Storm head coach Scott Walker, whose team won an impressive 10-1 in Game 4. “I think we have a very good leadership group in our room and they understand that, but they know it’s not going to be easy so we’re going to have to be on our toes and play hard.”
WHAT’S ON THE LINE?
The Battalion have been here before. North Bay trailed Niagara 3-1 in the first round before battling back to take the series in seven games. The Battalion got better with each passing round, using the momentum to defeat Barrie and Oshawa en route to the Eastern Conference title.
As deflating as the situation is, the Battalion know the huge mountain they have to climb is one they’ve done before.
“I think you just need to take it game by game,” Battalion captain Barclay Goodrow said. “We’ll go in Friday just not thinking that the series is 3-1, it’s just a one-game scenario. We need to win that game in order to keep playing hockey. I think we’ll just look at it like that. I think that’s what we did against Niagara and we were able to be successful that way.”
North Bay head coach and general manager Stan Butler said his team needed a short memory after letting Game 3 slip away in the final 30 seconds on Tuesday. Never will that be more true than now given the circumstances his team finds itself in.
Although Guelph is firing on every cylinder following Game 4’s rout, the tide of momentum can turn at the drop of a hat in junior hockey. The Storm saw how a let-up with the Erie Otters in an elimination game following a rout turned momentum. The Storm should be anxious to prevent the same thing from happening against the Battalion.
KEY MATCHUP
The battle in front of the Battalion net
The Storm have unbelievable depth at every position, but in particular up front. Their forwards wore down the Battalion defence and owned the front of the net in Game 4, scoring most of their goals within a few feet of the blue paint.
Their forwards are hard-nosed and willing to pay the price. The Battalion’s defensive core hasn’t made life difficult enough for the Storm to gain position and fight for their chances. North Bay goaltender Jake Smith can’t accept too much blame for Game 4’s lopsided loss considering the wealth of scoring opportunities the Storm had in front.
The only way the Battalion can get back in this series is if they match the Storm’s grittiness and start winning those battles in front of their crease. If the same trend continues, there won’t be a sixth game in this series and a champion will be crowned Friday night.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Guelph: LW, Kerby Rychel
The Storm paid a premium to acquire his rights from Windsor earlier this season and are getting good bang for their buck in this playoff run. Rychel’s blend of physical play and offensive ability make him a dangerous opponent to defend.
“We wanted somebody who had the ability to play his type of game in the trenches,” Storm GM Mike Kelly recalled. “I think there were some other players out there that probably had as much productivity as what Kerby had, but we thought that Kerby was the type of player, regardless of how down and dirty playoff hockey might get, that his productivity would still be very, very strong. We just didn’t see him as a player that would be deterred by close checking or a heavy physical play and for that reason we thought he gave us the best chance of team success.”
North Bay: RW, Barclay Goodrow
Goodrow embodies much of what the Battalion represent. The captain and fifth-year junior spent his entire career as a member of the Battalion. Although not flashy, Goodrow is a heart-and-soul player whose contributions are perfect for the system deployed by Butler. After going undrafted in two NHL drafts, Goodrow signed as a free agent with San Jose this season.
“I was glad Barclay signed,” Butler said. “This kid’s one hell of a player … as a hockey player, you have the right to get better and I just felt Barclay kept getting better and nobody noticed it. My hat’s off to (scout) Bryan Marchment from San Jose who was the one who finally took a chance on him and I think he’s going to look pretty damn good because of it.”