The Listowel Cyclones gather to lift the Cherrey Cup after sweeping the Elmira Sugar Kings, with a 5-3 game 4 victory, to clinch back-to-back titles. (Photo by Ryan Drury)The Listowel Cyclones gather to lift the Cherrey Cup after sweeping the Elmira Sugar Kings, with a 5-3 game 4 victory, to clinch back-to-back titles. (Photo by Ryan Drury)
Midwestern

Cyclones Put The Cherrey On Top As They Sweep Sugar Kings

The Listowel Cyclones marched into Elmira up 3-0 in the Cherrey Cup Final tonight, and came through with the broomstick to win back-to-back Cherrey Cups, and just their 3rd in franchise history.

In the opening frame, Listowel went right to work with long stretches of play in the Elmira zone, but not many shots. They were able to work the puck around a lot and had space to find openings but couldn’t, and young Rhett Kimmel stopped all 6 shots he saw. Elmira started pushing back midway through the period with a barrage of shots, including 4 on a brief power play when Brendan Clayton took a holding call to prevent a goal. The Sugar Kings man advantage was short lived when Tyler Beauparlant took an interference call, and after the Cyclones brief look on the PP, the teams skated off in a scoreless tie, as Max Wright stopped all 11 shots he faced.

Everything opened up in the second. Listowel opened the scoring after a beautiful individual effort by Chayse Herrfort, who picked up the puck in full flight at the blueline, danced a defender and shot low and hard glove side to beat Kimmel. Listowel would add to their lead just over 4 minutes later, as Steven Grant made an excellent play on a long shift and dug the puck off the far wall, slipping it to Cullen Mercer who snapped it off immediately and beat Kimmel high blocker. Elmira would finally crack the scoreboard under 2 minutes later, as Ethan Wiseman continued his great post season off a faceoff where he jumped on the puck far side, swept in behind Wright’s net and tucked a gorgeous wraparound home. The good feelings were short lived though, as the Sugar Kings saw Zach Cameron ejected for a hit from behind, and Chayse Herrfort snapped his second goal home on the PP after a precise feed from Mercer. After a couple failed man advantages of their own, Elmira cut it to 3-2 as Mason McMahon scored on a rebound late in the period to keep the game tight. Shots sat at 23-20 Elmira, but they were sitting at 0/4 on the PP.

The third had it all on the line, and early on Elmira came through finally on the PP as Wiseman got his 2nd of the contest with a hard shot just 4 seconds into the man advantage. The large bulk of the rest of the period turned into a war of attrition as both groups struggled to find the legs to break through. But with just over 2 to play, Chayse Herrfort produced more magic, as he blew down the ice end to end, dug the puck loose behind the net, and shoveled it to Cullen Mercer right on the door step, and his shot squeaked through Kimmel to make it 4-3. Elmira pulled the goalie to try and salvage it, but Herffort got his 4th point of the night as he patiently waited to find Mercer on a bank pass down ice, and Mercer slid it home to ice it 5-3, and go back-to-back for the Cherrey.

Congrats to the entire Cyclones organization, as well as the whole Elmira Sugar Kings team, too, on a hard fought series. Both groups move on into the Sutherland playoffs, as Elmira draws Caledonia and Listowel gets a rematch with the London Nationals. What a ride so far.

Your 2018, and back-to-back Cherrey Cup champs, the Listowel Cyclones. (Photo by Ryan Drury)

 

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