WATERLOO – A week after being humiliated by Midwestern Junior B’s worst team, the Listowel Cyclones faced the daunting task of playing in the conference’s two toughest rinks.
They responded with a gutsy 5-4 shootout win in Brantford on Saturday night – just the Eagle’s second home loss all year – then carried a 2-1 lead into the third period in Waterloo on Sunday.
The Siskins broke through for four unanswered markers in a 5-2 final, but Listowel was able to make some noise with their play on the road.
Holding the lead with 15 minutes to play in front of a sparse crowd at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex was even more impressive as the visitors were skating with a short bench, forcing the coaching staff to play with just two centres.
“It was tough only having two lines, especially against the top two teams,” said centre Chris Holmes, who played about half the game, as did fellow pivot Bobby Cook.
Waterloo increasingly took control of the game after Miles MacLean supplied the lead with his 23rd and 24th goals of the season. They dominated in puck possession in the second half of the contest.
Goalie James Prigione was able to fend them off until Andrew Csumrik redirected a shot past him five minutes into the third.
Ben Skinner converted the go-ahead marker after another long shift in Listowel’s zone, then an awkward shot barely slipped over Prigione’s trapper later in the frame for the clincher.
He was instrumental in Listowel’s victory the previous evening in Brantford, making an incredible 11 stops in the five-minute overtime to force a shootout.
Once again he came through by stopping the first two Eagle’s shooters, while Cook and MacLean both finished their opportunities to secure the win.
“It’s always nice beating the first-place team, especially in their barn too,” Holmes said. “They outshot us a bit but overall it was a good, physical game.”
Eric Deckers (2) and MacLean (2) scored in regulation.
The two points were huge in the battle for home ice advantage in the playoffs as the Cyclones (22-19-1) are a pair back of Cambridge for third, but only two points up on Elmira for fifth with under a month to play.
“We’ve got to build off that,” said Holmes.
Friday is the return match with the Siskins (35-6-1)) in a 7:30 p.m. puck drop at Listowel Memorial Arena, then the group heads back to the Kinsmen Arena in Kitchener on Sunday for a 6:30 p.m. tilt with the Dutchmen (13-28-1).
It’s a chance at redemption for the group after the 9-4 thrashing they suffered in that building 10 days ago.