Guelph takes OHL by Storm

The comeback kids are the improbable champions of the Ontario Hockey League. Against all odds, the Guelph Storm will represent the OHL at the upcoming Memorial Cup tournament.

The Storm ousted the favoured Ottawa 67’s 8-3 today, scoring a home-ice victory that gave Guelph the best-of-seven championship series four games to two.

As it had done in the previous two playoff series against the Saginaw Spirit and London Knights, Guelph overcame big deficits before coming out on top.

In the Western Conference semi-finals against no. 1 seed London, no. 4 seed Guelph lost the first three games of the series only to Storm back and win the next four.

Then, in the Western Conference finals, Guelph spotted no. 2 seed Saginaw a three games to one lead before winning the next three to again take the series by a 4-3 margin.

Finally, it was the coup de grace in the OHL finals against Ottawa, the no. 1 seed from the Eastern Conference and the first-place overall finishers from the regular season.

Ottawa won the first two games of the series but it was Guelph that won the next four to take the OHL championship set four games to two.

The trip to the upcoming Memorial Cup tournament will be the third for Guelph coach-general manager George Burnett.

In his first go-round with the Storm, Burnett took the Storm to the big dance in 1998.

Then 10 years later, in 2008, Burnett piloted the Belleville Bulls into the Memorial Cup event as their coach-general manager.