The approaching OHL trade deadline does not weigh heavy on the heads of the Guelph Storm players.
Playing like a team that doesn't have a care in the world, the Storm gave up two early goals to the Peterborough Petes Friday night before reeling off five straight on their way to a 5-2 victory at the Sleeman Centre.
The trade deadline is a week away.
Is the dressing room full of concern? Do players sit in their stalls discussing it? Is it a distraction? we ask captain Cam Hillis.
"Naaaah," he said with a chuckle.
"Obviously it's in the background, nobody's really focused on that. Everyone's just so confident and having a good time in there (the dressing room) and looking forward to coming to the rink every day."
How does Hillis explain the team's continued success?
"I can't really. Guy's are just hungry in that room right now. We have a lot of underdogs in that room. We're fighting each and every day in practice, there's healthy competition and I think it just helps our team grow every day.
"It's fun to win and everyone's having fun right now."
The Petes had no answer for Hillis and his linemates Pavel Gogolev Friday.
The line combined for 11 points, with Hillis and Gogolev each notching two goals and two assists while Uba had three helpers.
For Gogolev it was the 10th straight game he has scored in, giving him 29 on the seasons, just two back of league leader Arthur Kaliyev of the Hamilton Bulldogs. He is third in league scoring, five points back of Ottawa's Marco Rossi.
"Our top guys picked up the pace and everybody else followed along," Storm coach George Burnett said.
It didn't start out so great.
The Petes scored on their first two shots on Owen Bennett in the opening 90 second of the game.
"I didn't like our game early. It could have been ugly, the way we started," Burnett said.
When Bennett made a save on the third shot, it brought some Bronx cheers from the crowd, something that didn't sit too well with Burnett.
"I was a litltle disappointed to hear the raspberries after he made the first save," Burnett said. "He's been terrific for us and those things happen."
Burnett said recently-returned overager Markus Phillips is at home in Toronto and the team is in the process of addressing the fact it has one too many overage players.
He said that would likely be rectified before the Friday trade deadline.
Guelph's busy weekend continues with a game in Owen Sound on Saturday night before wrapping up with a Sunday matinee at home against the red hot Kitchener Rangers. Game time is 2 p.m.
