MacKenzie Entwistle is an Ontario Hockey League champion once again.
The Blackhawks prospect hoisted the J. Ross Robertson Cup on Sunday as the Guelph Storm finished off the Ottawa 67’s with an 8-3 win in Game 6 on home ice. As a result, Entwistle is the second Blackhawks prospect in three years to win the OHL title after Alex DeBrincat won it in 2017 with the Erie Otters.
Entwistle won it last year with the Hamilton Bulldogs, but he was still property of the Coyotes at that point. One NHL and one OHL trade later, and he’s off to the Memorial Cup in Halifax.
Here’s a look at how Entwistle impacted the final games of the series.
Game 5: Guelph 4, Ottawa 3
Entwistle: 1 primary assist, 5 shots, 1 for 1 in faceoffs
His helper came on a goal by the red-hot Blues prospect Alexey Toropchenko, who recorded his seventh goal of the series with this snipe.
Keep your eyes on the bottom right to witness Entwistle’s tight little backhand pass to set up the goal.
🚨 When you’re 🔥 EVERYTHING goes in! @AToropchenko is unstoppable I’m pretty sure. He makes it 3-1! #GUEvsOTT pic.twitter.com/4swembNZ9e
— ✖- Guelph Storm (@Storm_City) May 11, 2019
With the win, Guelph was presented with a chance to clinch the OHL Championship on home ice in Game 6. The series lead was a nice change of pace after the comebacks needed to survive the previous two rounds.
Game 6: Guelph 8, Ottawa 3
Entwistle: 1 primary assist, 4 shots, 1 for 3 in faceoffs.
Guelph went down 2-0 just 8:30 in this one on a wrist shot from outside the blue line (seriously) and a power play goal against just 5:30 later.
Entwistle did have a scoring chance in close after a tenacious solo rush into the offensive zone, but his five-hole attempt was stopped. He was also involved in an effective penalty kill late in the opening period, where all three members of his line — including Nick Suzuki and Isaac Ratcliffe — were blocking shots.
Guelph got on the scoreboard 51 seconds in the second period thanks to a power play goal of their own, and the top line went to work near the halfway point to get the equalizer. It was Ratcliffe who dropped a devastating move on the defense to create space and snap it home, and Entwistle who did some dirty work along the boards to get the puck free to begin with.
The play can be seen midway through this clip.
Huge @Storm_City response 🌪
A blast by @Samorukov_D and some dangles from captain @isaacratcliffe have tied Game 6 with a 2-2 score.#OHLChampionship | #OTTvsGUE pic.twitter.com/AhByo3qAAf
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) May 12, 2019
Ratcliffe later scored on the power play to make it 3-2 with the top line out on the ice. Entwistle didn’t record an assist, but he did win the faceoff to open the extra man attack and Guelph kept the puck in the zone until they scored.
It was all Guelph from that point on, and the Storm went on to win 8-3.
Your 2018-2019 OHL Champions!! 🏆🏆🏆#Champs #IamtheSTORM pic.twitter.com/ncYFLkAAPa
— ✖- Guelph Storm (@Storm_City) May 12, 2019
Comparing championship wins might be a bit of apples to apples, but Entwistle admitted despite only being in Guelph for five months, this one was pretty sweet.
“Honestly, I think this one could be a little bit better,” Entwistle told Second City Hockey on the ice during the postgame celebration. “It’s something to win it once, and then to win it twice … honestly, words can’t explain what I’m going through right now. For the city of Guelph to be behind us like they were, it’s so special and I can’t believe it.”
Guelph swept an opening round series against the Kitchener Rangers, completed a reverse sweep against the London Knights in round two, came back from a 2-0 and 3-1 series deficit against the Saginaw Spirit in the conference finals and overcame a 2-0 series hole against an Ottawa team that went 14-0 before Guelph won four straight to take the series.
Entwistle said the nature of this run certainly made it all the more special.
“It just shows the resiliency of our group. Being down in this series, being down in this game … I don’t even know how to explain the resiliency we have in our locker room. I’m so proud of every single one of these guys and it’s so nice to win again.”
Entwistle finished fifth among Storm players in total playoff points, and third among forwards, behind playoff MVP Suzuki and his other linemate, captain Ratcliffe.
Updated playoff stat line:
24 games
7 goals
14 assists
0.88 point per game average
62 shots
36 for 85 in faceoffs
Up next:
Guelph will represent the OHL in this month’s in Halifax in the Memorial Cup, a round-robin tournament to determine the Canadian Hockey League champion. Blackhawks prospects Alexis Gravel and Jake Ryczek of the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads will also be in the tournament as the host team.
May 18: Guelph vs. Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)
May 19: Guelph vs. Halifax (Host)
May 21: Guelph vs. Prince Albert/Vancouver (WHL)