The Listowel Cyclones hosted another Battle of 86 tonight for back-to-back Fridays. The Elmira Sugar Kings came back to the Steve Kerr Memorial riding high in first place still, against a Cycs team still yearning for some more consistent goal scoring pop.
As the puck dropped to get the game underway, Elmira brought early pressure but Listowel answered with speed and quick dump ins to answer. Cam Knight drew a penalty for Listowel with a burst of speed just over 5 minutes into the game, and the Cyclones worked an early power play. However, the Cycs couldn’t solve Sugar Kings goalie Greg Brassard. Then, with Elmira pressing, they thought they took advantage of a sloppy turnover at the 11:09 mark, but Cycs goalie Evan Morrison made the save of the year reaching back across the goal line to rob Cooper Way. The Sugar Kings actually celebrated thinking they scored before the ref delivered the bad news. Unbelievable save by Morrison. The rest of the period was fast and furious with big hits, and another Listowel power play with 1:23 left for a high stick. The first would end in a scoreless tie as the Cycs carried 37 seconds of power play time into the second. Shots 8-5 Listowel.
Listowel would fail to score on the leftovers of their power play, and as 5-on-5 play resumed, Elmira began to build more momentum. At the 18:24 mark, Trent Verbeek made a horrible hit from behind, launching a Sugar Kings player hard face first into the boards. Verbeek was assessed a two minute minor for checking from behind and picked up a misconduct for his crime. He was lucky to not get a major. Listowel survived the penalty and the two sides began trading some nasty hits. Finally at the 14:50 mark, Elmira captain Mason McMahon scored on a pretty move to the backhand that beat Morrison through the wickets. A few minutes later, Listowel would draw its third power play on an interference call. The Cycs got one brilliant chance in front but Jonah White couldn’t find it in his feet.
As that penalty expired, Listowel was dinged for a slash, and then a fight broke out between Listowel’s Rylan Bowers and Elmira’s Owen O’Donnell. Both were tossed, and Elmira earned a power play. The Sugar Kings couldn’t cash in and the chippy play just kept intensifying. Elmira would then take a high sticking call in a controversial moment when it seemed Listowel would get the penalty. Sugar Kings goalie Greg Brassard made some excellent saves on tips and screen shots to deny the Cycs man advantage again. With 2 minutes left the Cycs would get called for an ill advised cross check, and Elmira would have a late chance to build on the 1-0 lead. They would, as rookie Luke Eurig would bury it in a wide open net with 14 seconds in the period. That would do it for a very high event 2nd frame. Shots at 19-15 for Elmira.
The third had a stop and start beginning, and then Listowel was once again penalized for an elbow. Listowel survived another onslaught and held the game at 2-0. Then with 13:28 on the clock, Elmira’s best defender Carter Lennon was assessed a checking from behind minor penalty and game misconduct to end his night, giving Listowel a chance to cut into the lead. But, the Cyclones rough night on special teams continued as they couldn’t solve Greg Brassard. Minutes later, Elmira defender Anthony Azzano wired a seeing eye shot from the point to make it 3-0 Sugar Kings. Listowel would find themselves in more trouble after a silly slashing call with just under 9 minutes left, but they killed it off as they tried to mount a late comeback. They would get some help as Elmira took an interference call with just 6:10 left on the clock. Listowel once again failed to utilize the man advantage, which really let them down all night.
Stevie Grant then got dinged for a misconduct for something the ref didn’t like leaving the Cycs bench short to end the game. Then with 1:45 left all hell broke loose with a line brawl in front of the Cycs bench, and the coaching staffs got involved in some verbal jousting as well, extending the end of the game by a long few minutes. The game would come to a merciful end for all involved with Elmira clinching a 3-0 victory. Greg Brassard was rock solid to earn the shutout. Tough night at the office for Listowel, especially their power play. They are in Kitchener tomorrow afternoon and back home Sunday afternoon to host Brantford.
