PORT CREDIT - Ben McFarlane is short and to the point when describing what kind of game he plays.
"They just want me to keep grinding and be that rat in the corners, get everybody mad at me and draw penalties. Just keep hitting and work my ass off," said McFarlane after a 4-2 exhibition win by the Guelph Storm Friday night at Port Credit Memorial Arena.
"I don't back down from anything."
Being drafted was a dream come true.
"It's been my dream since I was a kid, to put an OHL jersey on," said McFarlane, the Storm's sixth round pick in this year's draft who will start the season with the junior B Cambridge Redhawks.
"It's always a tryout for me right now so I'm always pushing myself as hard as I can," said McFarlane.
Listed as 5-foot-7, 160 pounds, McFarlane is an easy player to notice and an easy player for Storm fans to like. Basically he hits everything that moves.
"I had a great coach in Scott Walker, who taught me how to play the game right," said McFarlane, who played for the Storm co-owner and former coach last year with the Cambridge minor midgets.
"My hard work will pay off eventually and obviously this year it has so far."
McFarlane will practice a bit with the Storm a bit this season while attending school at Victus Elite Hockey Academy in Kitchener, where he is on the ice twice a day in addition to his junior B schedule.
The Storm improved to 2-1 with in the exhibition season with the win Friday.
They led 1-0 after one period on a Daniil Chayka shot that deflected off a player and dribbled in, and 2-0 after two periods thanks to a Barret Kirwan rebound goal off a Chayka point shot.
Ty Collins, on a breakaway, and Zach Poirier had the other Guelph goals in the third period. Tag Bertuzzi had two assists.
Nico Daws started and played the first 30 minutes. Tanner Wickware played the last 30, allowing both Mississauga goals: a backhand on a breakaway and a bullet slapper from a sharp angle that Wickware went down to quickly on.
Mississauga outshot Guelph 41-21.
Guelph, with eight players still at NHL camps and Cam Hillis nursing a minor injury, played with nine skaters and five defencemen.
Gianluca Fuoco, a 19-year-old free agent who played for Saginaw two years ago, played and will play Saturday when the Storm hosts the Hamilton Bulldogs at 7 p.m.
