The Owen Sound Attack are set for another pair of divisional games this weekend, as they look to build off of Wednesday night's thrilling victory over the Barrie Colts.
Travelling down Highway 6 to the Royal City, the Attack will kick off their weekend set by squaring off against the Guelph Storm at the Sleeman Centre on Friday, Feb. 2.
A 7:30pm start, the game will be the 2nd in less than a week between the sides after the Attack took down Guelph by a score of 2-1 on Saturday, Jan. 27.
That win, Owen Sound's 1st in the season series between the sides, allowed the Attack to pull closer to the Storm, who sit just three points up in the standings.
Currently situated with a record of 21-19-2-5, good for 49 points, Owen Sound is gaining ground on a Storm team that has 52 points thanks to their 24-19-1-3 mark.
And while the Attack edged out Guelph in the latest meeting, the Ryan Merkley led side still has the edge in the season series, having won four out of the first five games between the teams.
Merkley, a top prospect for this June's upcoming NHL Entry Draft, leads Guelph with 57 points courtesy of 12 goals and 45 assists through 47 games.
Though Attack continue to be paced by Nick Suzuki, currently 7th in the OHL scoring race thanks to his 24 goals and 39 points, the trip to the Sleeman Centre will be a return to the scene of Aidan Dudas' bursting onto the national scene after the diminutive forwards' stellar performance in the CHL/NHL Sherwin-Williams Top Prospect Game.
Held on Thursday, Jan. 25, Dudas was one of the stars of the CHL's annual event, scoring two highlight reel goals in front of a raucous crowd in Guelph. The Parry Sound native has 46 points in 47 games for the Attack this year, and is second to only Barrie's Andrei Svechnikov when it comes to goals scored by draft eligible players.
Friday night's game will be available live on Rogers Local 53, or by listening to Kia of Owen Sound/Terry's Trailer Service Bear Radio on 560 CFOS.
Following the game, Owen Sound will return home to take on the Kitchener Rangers on Saturday night, in what is the Attack's "Talk Today" Game in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association of Grey-Bruce.
The game will feature a number of activities focusing on mental health awareness as part of the ongoing commitment by the Attack and CMHA Grey-Bruce to implement Talk Today, presented by Teachers Life. Talk Today provides mental health support to players and raises awareness about mental health and suicide prevention throughout communities across the OHL.
A key piece of the Talk Today program has been to educate players about mental health and suicide prevention. Every team has received mental health training specific to suicide prevention. Each team is also now linked to a CMHA Mental Health Coach, who provides support and mental health resources to individuals in need.
On the ice, Saturday's game - a 7:30pm puck drop - will be the season finale between the Attack and Rangers, with Kitchener leading the season series 4-3.
The last meeting between the sides, however, was a decisive 7-0 victory for Owen Sound on national television back on Saturday, Jan. 6.
Kitchener, who leads the Midwest Division with a record of 33-14-2-0, will play the Hamilton Bulldogs at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on Friday night before making the trip to Owen Sound for the game on Saturday.
Tickets for the contest are limited, but can be purchased at the MacVicar & McComb ReMax Attack Box Office, or by calling 519-371-7452.
source: media release, Owen Sound Attack
