The Listowel Cyclones opened their 2018 GOJHL playoffs against the Guelph Hurricanes with a convincing win tonight.
Prior to puck drop, the team honoured the late Jim Scott, who passed away earlier this week after serving with the Cyclones for over 50 years in various volunteer roles. The Cyclones players are all wearing commemorative stickers for Jim throughout the playoffs on their helmets.
The sticker honouring longtime Cyclones volunteer Jim Scott, who passed away earlier this week. The team will wear it on their helmets for the duration of the playoffs. Scott was with the organization over 50 years. (Photo by Ryan Drury)
The Cycs got off to a bit of a slow start, getting hemmed into their own zone in the first 3 minutes and taking an early penalty just before the 4-minute mark. Guelph took a penalty of their own shortly after that to negate the full 2-minute advantage. Ben Van Ooteghem, who took the initial penalty, came out to open the scoring on a shortened man advantage for Listowel. After scoring the opener Listowel started dominating down low, with long periods of 1-2 minutes parked in the offensive zone. The Cycs went up 2-0 after a great effort from Cullen Mercer left the puck sitting at a wide open net for Chayse Herrfort to bang in just shy of the 13-minute mark. With 3 minutes left, the Cycs earned another power play that lasted 12 seconds, as Cullen Mercer shredded a one-timer top shelf for a 3-0 lead. Brady Anderson added to Guelph’s misery ripping a wrist shot high glove on rookie goalie Jet Greaves making it 4-0, ending Greaves night, and the first period.
Guelph entered the second with a brief bit of power play time carrying over, but couldn’t convert. Just over 6 minutes in Guelph got their best chance off a rare 2-on-0 and Max Wright made a sensational toe save in the Cyclones crease to hold the Hurricanes off the board on his way to a shutout. The period was far more wide open than the first, but the Cyclones still largely carried the play. There was no scoring until just after the 13-minute mark, when a seeing-eye shot from Brenden Clayton took a deflection and beat Trenton McGrail, who was brilliant in relief of Greaves for Guelph. Bryce McFadden made it 6-0 on a delayed penalty call with 5 minutes left in the frame. Mercer nearly made it 7 but McGrail made an unbelievable diving stick save to deny the skilled centreman his 2nd of the night. Mercer then got tagged with a double-minor that the Hurricanes would carry into the third period.
With the game basically out of reach, Guelph pressed early in the final frame to try to get something going on the remainder of the Mercer double-minor, but again couldn’t make anything happen. Bryce McFadden snagged his 2nd goal of the night of a big rebound right on the doorstep just shy of the 12-minute mark to give Listowel the lucky number 7. That was all she wrote. The Cycs outshot Guelph 42-26 on the night, and take game 1 by a final score of 7-0.
The Cyclones celebrate after Cullen Mercer's power play snipe put them up 3-0 in the first period against the Guelph Hurricanes. The Cycs would go on to win 7-0 to take a 1-0 series lead. (Photo by Ryan Drury)
Scoring Summary:
Period 1
Listowel - Ben VanOoteghem (power play) (Max Coyle, Max Wright) 6:18
Listowel - Chayse Herrfort (Cullen Mercer, Ben VanOoteghem) 12:46
Listowel - Cullen Mercer (power play) (Max Coyle, Chayse Herrfort) 17:12
Listowel - Brady Anderson (Max Coyle, Bryce McFadden) 18:16
Period 2
Listowel - Brenden Clayton (Jakob Lee, Brett Primeau) 13:21
Listowel - Bryce McFadden (Max Coyle, Caleb Warren) 14:58
Period 3
Listowel - Bryce McFadden (Caleb Warren, Brenden Clayton) 11:51