OHL Owen Sound Attack

Home and Road Weekend for Attack

Published on December 12, 2014 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Owen Sound Attack News Release


The last three times the Owen Sound Attack have taken to the ice they've taken on Midwest Division rivals. That won't change on Friday night as they head to Guelph to take on the Storm, who currently sit two points up on the Attack in the standings.

But when puck drops at 7:30 pm at the Sleeman Center, it will be a rivalry game that is missing a large number of key players for both squads with the Storm feeling it the most.

Owen Sound assistant captain Chris Bigras will be absent from the Attack line up while attending Team Canada's World Junior Championship evaluation camp, and he will be joined by two of Guelph's top scorers.

Robby Fabbri and Jason Dickinson will be in Toronto with Bigras while Guelph's Swiss imports, Phil Baltisberger and Pius Suter are also set to head to their training camp.

The game will not be without its fair share of firepower though.

Attack leading scorer Kyle Platzer is coming off of a week that saw him notch five goals and three assists in three games, including a hat trick against the Kitchener Rangers on Saturday, Dec. 6. Platzer now has 37 points on the season, a career high for the Edmonton Oilers draft pick, and he doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon.

Guelph will also have their leading scorer in the line up as Tyler Bertuzzi will look to improve on his current mark of 40 points when the game gets underway.

Both teams are riding into the game on high notes with Owen Sound (14-9-1-4) having won their last two contests while Guelph (17-10-0-1) is on a three game winning streak.

Friday's game will be the 3rd meeting between the teams this year, with each side having claimed one victory.

The Storm defeated the Attack 3-2 in a shootout on Oct. 4 while Owen Sound exacted revenge with a 3-2 win of their own on Oct. 25.

Owen Sound will return home on Saturday, Dec. 13 to square off against the Mississauga Steelheads on BMO Fan Appreciation Night in their 1st meeting with the Eastern Conference squad this year.

Mississauga is 13-13-0-1 on the year and is holding down the 3rd place spot in the Central Division as of Wednesday, Dec. 10.

The Attack swept last year's two game season series against the Steelheads.

Saturday's game at the Bayshore is BMO Fan Appreciation Night. Fans are encouraged to visit the South Concourse before the game or during the intermission for their BMO Cheer Swag. Face painting by local Face Paint artist Mindy Biggar will also be available for children at the BMO Kiosk in the South Concourse.

Puck drop for Saturday's contest is set for 7:30pm and tickets for that game, as well as all Attack home games, can be purchased at the DJ's Furniture Attack Box Office, online at www.attackhockey.com, or by calling 519-371-7452.

This season of Attack Hockey is brought to you by Caframo.

ROSTER NOTES

Due to Chris Bigras' departure for Team Canada's World Junior Championship Training Camp, defenceman Jacob Friend has been recalled from the Coburg Cougars. Friend has one goal and three assists in 28 games for the Cougars this year.

Jarett Meyer is expected to return to the line up this weekend, while overage forward Holden Cook is progressing in his rehab of an upper body injury. Cook is expected to return to the lineup, but the timeline for his return is not yet determined.

KEYS TO VICTORY

Vs. Guelph - The Sleeman Center is a tough building to play in and the Storm are a dynamic offensive team when they are allowed to get fired up. The Attack will need to get off to a quick start and then sustain the pressure for as long as possible to keep Guelph from feeding off of any energy the crowd may have.

Vs. Mississauga - Underrated because of their struggles in the past, the Mississauga Steelheads have shown that they can hang with the best in the league after a 6-2 throttling of the London Knights recently. Like Owen Sound, Mississauga has a balanced scoring Attack and can roll all four of their lines effectively. Owen Sound will need to use an aggressive forecheck and test goalie Spencer Martin as much as possible to get two points.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tyler Bertuzzi, LW, Guelph Storm

16 G, 24 A, 28 GP

Tyler Bertuzzi is a thorn in the side for everyone who takes on the Guelph Storm thanks to his effective ability to play both an agitator's role and put pucks in the back of the net. A possible future teammate of Attack captain Zach Nastasiuk, Tyler Bertuzzi will likely be looked upon to fill the void that Robby Fabbri is leaving.

Sean Day, D, Mississauga Steelheads

2 G, 9 A, 21 GP

In his 2nd year of action in the OHL, the former exceptional status defenceman is finally settling into his role with the Steelheads. Day likes to use his quick 1st step and exceptional passing to provide breakout options for Mississauga, and if the Attack can make his night difficult, the game will become easier.

Check out the Owen Sound Attack Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 12, 2014


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central