Guelph Storm Crowned OHL Champions
With the Memorial Cup just a week away, the CHL championships are starting to round up as each of the three leagues are down to the championship. The OHL side wrapped up last night as the Guelph Storm defeated the feel good North Bay Battalion in 5 games, to claim the 2014 OHL title.
It was a game that Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Kerby Rychel will remember for the rest of his life. His two late goals game the Storm the edge they needed to win the OHL Cup. Rychel scored the game tying goal with less than 5 minutes to go in the third and then the game winning goal with just 26.3 seconds left. His two big goals helped power the Storm to their first OHL title since 2004 and earned them a birth in the Memorial Cup.
"“Everyone’s bought in. We didn’t have our best game tonight but we knew we just had to keep pushing and we would come out on top. We’ll enjoy it for a few days and then we’ll get ready for the Memorial Cup.” ~ Kerby Rychel following the win"
18 year old goaltender Justin Nichols came up big for the Storm in the playoffs with his 2.63 goals against average, .919 save pct. in playoffs and captain Matt Finn helped lead the team.
The Guelph Storm had been one of the best OHL teams since the season began. They scored a lot and often over matched their opponents with their strong offence. They got solid goaltender all year long and in the end were too much for the underdog Battalion to handle in the finals. The 2013-2014 Guelph Storm may be one of the most dominate OHL teams in the last few seasons. However it wasn’t always fun and games for the Storm during this series. They needed a come from behind overtime win in game 1 and needed two quick goals in 30 seconds in game three. They certainly had a flare for the dramatics this series, however when the chance came to end the series in game 5 they made no mistake.
Robby Fabbri had three assists and 38 points in the post season and won the Wayne Gretzky award for OHL playoff MVP.
The Storm will now be headed to the Memorial Cup, where they finished last back in 2004. They’re hoping for a much better outcome as they ride their powerhouse offence this time around.