Music: {allcanada} Guelph locks up spot in Memorial Cup title game

Monday, May 19, 2014

{allcanada} Guelph locks up spot in Memorial Cup title game

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Guelph Storm forward Robert Fabbri continued to cement his status as one of the top forwards available for the 2014 NHL Draft with a goal and an assist in a 6-3 defeat of the Val-d'Or Foreurs on Monday at the 2014 Memorial Cup.

Minnesota Wild draft pick Zack Mitchell had a goal and two assists for Guelph, which also got a goal and an assist from Columbus Blue Jackets 2013 first-round pick Kerby Rychel. Goalie Justin Nichols made 30 saves as the Storm, champions of the Ontario Hockey League, outshot the Foreurs 49-33.

Guelph, which beat the Western Hockey League champion Edmonton Oil Kings 5-2 on Saturday, improved to 2-0 in the tournament and earned a spot in the championship game Sunday. They'll finish round-robin play Wednesday against the host London Knights.

Timotej Sille, a Slovakia-born forward eligible for the 2014 draft, had a goal and an assist for Val-d'Or, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion. Goalie Antoine Bibeau, a Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick, allowed six goals on 36 shots in two periods. He was replaced by Keven Bouchard, No. 10 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American goaltenders, who stopped all 13 shots he faced in the third.

Val-d'Or, which shut out London in the tournament opener Friday, finishes round-robin play Tuesday against the Oil Kings.

Fabbri set up Rychel's goal 59 seconds into the game to open the scoring. He added a goal with 3:56 left in the second to give Guelph a 5-2 lead.

His 13 goals were second in the OHL during the playoffs, his 28 points in 16 playoff games were third, and he was named the most valuable player of the OHL postseason. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound center is No. 21 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters for this year's draft.

Fabbri was tied for fourth in the OHL in the regular season with 45 goals, and his 87 points in 58 games was third on the team.

Guelph ran out to a 3-0 lead in the first 5:50 of game as Rychel, Mitchell and Jason Dickinson, taken by the Dallas Stars with the 29th pick of the 2013 draft, scored.

Pius Suter scored 8:13 into the second to make it 4-0 for the Storm. The Foreurs got into the game with goals by Randy Gazzola and Sille 56 seconds apart.

Then, after Fabbri scored, Tyler Bertuzzi, a 2013 second-round pick (No. 58) of the Detroit Red Wings, scored with eight seconds remaining in the second for a 6-2 Guelph lead after two periods.

Val-d'Or's Anthony Beauregard scored the only goal of the third period to close the scoring.

2014 Memorial Cup schedule

All times EST

May 16: Val-d'Or 1, London 0

May 17: Guelph 5, Edmonton 2

May 18: Edmonton 5, London 2

May 19: Guelph 6, Val-d'Or 3

May 20: Edmonton vs. Val-d'Or, 7 p.m. (May 21, 1 p.m., NHLN-US)

May 21: London vs. Guelph, 7 p.m. (May 22, 1 p.m., NHLN-US)

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