After long wait, playoff hockey returns for Greyhounds, Storm

Neither team expects it to be easy.

They finished five points apart in the Ontario Hockey League’s Western Conference and enter the playoffs playing well and for the Soo Greyhounds and Guelph Storm, it all gets underway on Thursday night.

The two clubs are set to open their best-of-7 Western Conference quarter-final series at the GFL Memorial Gardens and both coaches are excited to get things going.

“We’re very confident in our ability, there’s no doubt about that, but we have a huge challenge ahead of us,” said Greyhounds coach John Dean. “We have a tremendous amount of respect for the Guelph Storm and I have a tremendous amount of respect for George Burnett.”

“His team plays very hard for him,” Dean added about Burnett. “We feel very confident, don’t get me wrong, but we also feel like this is a big challenge and it’s going to be one heck of a series.”

Storm general manager and coach George Burnett says the team has its work cut out for them entering the series.

“They’re a deep, veteran group that has tremendous experience and abilities on the back end,” Burnett said. “The pace of their game is as strong as any team in the league. They’re strong up front. They’re deep with scoring and their special teams are strong on both sides. They don’t have any weaknesses from where we stand. We’ve had a couple of decent games with them this year, but some others we weren’t strong. We have to learn from those experiences and our discipline will have to be at a premium. We’re going to have to try to limit the opportunities. They like to generate a lot of offence, particularly with the involvement of their blueliners.”

“If we allow them time and space and give them a chance to be a part of the rush and move the puck comfortably, we probably pay a big price,” Burnett added.

Dean said preparing for a playoff series “gives you an opportunity to focus in on some key areas that you think are going to be crucial to your success.”

“At the same time, we want teams to adapt to us,” Dean added. “We want teams to be worried about the style of play that we’re bringing. It’s very important that you don’t change a tonne. You key in and dial in to areas that you think are going to be very important for the success of your team against a specific team.”

Asked what the key to success would be for the Greyhounds against the Storm, Dean spoke of managing the puck well and also talked about how the final stretch of the regular season was important for the team.

“They’re very good at getting above the puck and forcing teams into turnovers,” Dean said. “We’re going to have to be really good closers in our own end and keep them from getting anywhere close to our goaltending. They work very hard below the goalline and in the offensive zone. At the same time, we have to bring our game. We have to be shooters and get a lot of pucks to their net. We want to be a high offensive team and give ourselves an opportunity to play in their zone as much as possible.”

For the Storm, the regular season brought with it some ups and downs.

“It was two different years for us,” Burnett said. “(It was) an outstanding first half with an extremely young group. We were pretty pleased with the progress. The second half was a little more demanding on the kids. They had to deal with a lot more different scenarios that presented themselves for lots of different reasons, not unlike every team.

Burnett also talked about the importance of the young players facing some of the challenges in the second half and how they could help them along in the playoffs.

“I’m pleased with the fact that we’ve continued to be able to play all of the young guys on a pretty regular basis,” Burnett said. “A number of them are a big part of our group and play in all situations and play important minutes every night. It bodes well for now and having this experience starting in the Sault, but also how it’s going to impact us in the next two or three years.”

Prior to the OHL trade deadline in January, the Storm added a pair of overage players from the Sarnia Sting in forward Brayden Guy and defenceman Ashton Reesor.

Burnett called it a move that added some stability to a young roster.

“Brayden is a terrific leader. He very quickly rose to the top and was selected our captain,” Burnett said. “Ash is a real steady, puck-moving, physical defenceman that is outstanding killing penalties, blocking shots, and doing some of those things that go unnoticed by many, but certainly not by us. We were too young where we were at at the break. We needed to provide our young guys with a little additional leadership and veteran presence.”

After COVID-19 forced the early finish to the 2019-20 season before the OHL cancelled the 2020-21 season completely, the Storm enter the playoffs as the league’s defending champs though a lot of faces have changed from that team.

Defenceman Daniil Chayka is the lone member of that team still with the club after suiting up with the team as a rookie on the title-winning squad.

“He came in with a focus when he came here (to North America), to play in the GTHL as a bantam and a midget. He’s made those steps. He’s been very successful internationally,” Burnett said. “That, combined with a championship run here in his rookie season, this year was the first year where he was the guy. He’s always had someone else. He looked up to (Dmitri) Samorukov, (Sean) Durzi, (Fedor) Gordeev, and some of those older guys. Now it’s a chance for him to be the guy back there and he’s done a nice job of that and provided great leadership.”

The Storm enter the series relatively healthy.

Rookie forward Ryan McGuire is the lone player who will not be available as the series kicks off on Thursday night.

Burnett said the 18-year-old forward could be available later in the series.

On the Greyhounds side, Ethan Montroy and Tanner Dickinson remain out long-term for the Greyhounds though Jordan D’Intino, who missed some time due to a non-COVID illness as the regular season wound down, is available to play.

Veteran forward Kalvyn Watson will miss the first two games due to a league-imposed suspension following a match penalty for cross-checking in a game against Flint on the final weekend of regular season play.

Watson was given a three-game suspension and sat out the final game of the regular season for the Greyhounds.