The Storm scored two runs in the third inning and then held on to win 5-4 against the No. 1 Knights.
A team in much need of a confidence boost got just that Wednesday night at the three-man center.
Sixty minutes of hard work paid off for the Guelph Storm in an exciting, thrilling and emotional 5-4 victory over the first place London Knights in front of a crowd of 4,723 at the Sleeman Center.
Guelph scored two goals in the third period to break a 3-3 tie and held on for the win with a big save from goaltender Braden Gillespie.
It was a productive night for a team that desperately needs a confidence boost. They also moved past Owen Sound and Erie into fifth place in the Western Conference.
“That’s huge,” Storm defenseman Chandler Romeo said. “To get a win here, especially against the top team in the conference.
“It’s easy to get emotional this time of year, especially after we’ve been in such a long rut. It’s easy to get emotional, especially after we’ve been in such a long rut. It’s easy to get emotional when we play good hockey and our players are on the bench, blocking shots and taking big hits. I think the team is definitely the driving force in turning off emotions. ”
Perhaps the biggest takeaway was that if you play the game the right way, the rewards will follow.
“That’s what Chad (Wiseman) said in the dressing room. We deserved to win that game. We fought hard… and we deserved the win we got,” Romeo said.
Guelph jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, then chipped away in the second period with London scoring two goals, before tying the score early in the third period with a goal from Easton Cowan.
However, Ryan McGuire singled past Michael Simpson at the net to make it 4-3 Guelph, and then Leo Serlin took advantage of a sloppy turnover by the London defense to break a 24-game scoreless streak to make it 5. -3. fired past a surprised Simpson.
Cowan scored his second goal with 6:04 left in the third for a thrilling finish, but Gillespie responded with Golgo defending the win.
Gillespie finished with 43 saves on the night.
“His attention to detail…making hard plays at the right times…his willingness to sacrifice and block shots was outstanding,” Storm coach Wiseman said.
“When you know you can beat a team at the top of the conference and beat that team that’s so close to the playoffs, that gives us a lot of confidence,” Wiseman said.
“There’s a good message there, that if you play the right way, you have an opportunity to compete and win hockey games every night.”
Gavin Grandner returns to Guelph’s lineup and Parker Snellgrove is expected to be available this weekend.
Storm defenseman Tommy Budnick was penalized for punching Rondon’s Kasper Haltunen in the face while wearing a glove after the final buzzer sounded. He is likely to be suspended.
Guelph will be on the road this weekend for a game in Sault Ste. Marie on Friday night and Saginaw on Saturday night.