The schedule for the 2-18-2019 Cherrey Cup Final between the Listowel Cyclones and the Waterloo Siskins has been released, with Game One going on Friday night in Listowel. (Via @Cycsnation)

Listowel beats Kitchener, Waterloo eliminates Stratford to advance to Cherrey Cup

After a long and tumultuous season in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, two teams remain standings. The Listowel Cyclones and the Waterloo Siskins will meet in the Cherrey Cup finals, a best-of-seven series beginning this Friday night in Listowel. The teams took different paths to get here, with Listowel enjoying steady success during the regular season as the first seed and only losing once so far in the playoffs, while the Siskins struggled late in the season to drop to third place before needing six hard-fought games to eliminate Stratford in the semi-finals. 

Heading into Game 5 versus Kitchener, Listowel had an opportunity to close out the series on home ice. After recovering from an overtime loss - Listowel's first loss of the postseason - with an emphatic 6-2 victory in Kitchener in Game 4, the Cycs carried a 3-1 series lead into Friday night. Their offensive power showed in the opening period, outshooting Kitchener 18-9 and opening the scoring on Luke Israel's third powerplay goal of the playoffs, followed by a Trent Verbeek tally 40 seconds later to give the home side a 2-0 lead into the second period. Kitchener's troubles continued in the second as the Dutchmen took four penalties leading to two more Cyclones powerplay goals, the first by Jonah White and second from Holdyn Lansink. The Dutchies managed just six shots on goal in the period and trailed 4-0 with their season on the line going into the third. Ryan Campbell put Kitchener on the board early in the third after Listowel took two penalties in succession of one another to open the period, but that is all the scoring the Dutchmen could get past Evan Morrison. Lansink scored his second powerplay goal of the game late in the third and Listowel won Game 5, 5-1. Lansink finished with four points, helping the Cycs go 4-for-9 on the powerplay, and Morrison made 25 saves in the win. Kitchener's ultimate demise in this series was its inability to stay out of the penalty box coupled with its depth scoring drying up after contributing well in the first round against Elmira. Listowel's powerplay was too lethal and Morrison played very well all series when called upon.

In the other semi-finals series, the main story was about Waterloo's rookie goaltender who returned from injury to propell the Siskins to the Cherrey Cup. After a good opening series versus Cambridge and an even better opening two games of this series against Stratford, Matt Onuska left in the late stages of Game 2 before Waterloo closed out the game to lead the series 2-0. The Siskins struggled to recover in Games 3 and 4, and while Machus Turner played well in relief for Waterloo, Stratford took advantage of the momentum swing and tied the series 2-2. Onuska returned to the crease in Stratford on Friday night for Game 5, and Waterloo made sure its young goaltender was rewarded. After the Warriors opened the scoring on an early powerplay, the Siskins responded with a PP tally of their own before Sam Spaedt gave the visitors the 2-1 lead. Spaedt struck again on a powerplay in the second period, but Hugh Anderson answered on a Stratford powerplay that brought the score to 3-2 in a chippy affair. Nursing a one-goal lead in the final period, Waterloo chose to keep the pressure on Stratford rather than sitting back, and the choice paid off. The Siskins outshot the Warriors 12-6 and scored twice in the third period to win Game 5, 5-2. Onuska stopped 20 shots in his return.

The win meant the Siskins could close out the series on Sunday afternoon at home. Stratford came out like a team facing elimination, throwing everything on net but Onuska was there to stop all 14 shots he saw in the opening period, while his team gave him an early lead on Michael Keating's first of the postseason. During a Waterloo powerplay in the second period, Nick Jung broke in on a shorthanded breakaway but was hauled down by Waterloo's Tyler Dam. Jung was awarded a penalty shot and beat Onuska blocker side to tie the game 1-1. The tie did not last long, though, as Waterloo recovered to answer back 41 seconds later on the same powerplay, as Alex Lycett scored to take back the lead. The teams came out tense in the third period, neither looking to make a costly mistake. The first mistake came seven minutes in when Waterloo got caught in the neutral zone, giving the Warriors a 3-on-1 break, with Dylan Lebold converting the cross-crease pass by Tyson Kielt, tying the game 2-2. As overtime loomed with under five minutes to play though, Winston Cestnick broke through the Warriors defense and alone in the slot roofed what proved to be the series winning goal. The Siskins tacked on two more goals in the late stages and won again by a score of 5-2, to win the series in six games. 

Onuska was fantastic again making 41 saves for Waterloo, while Zack Weir's impressive playoff campaign for Stratford ends with a 26 save performance. Onuska is now 8-1 in the playoffs with a 2.88 goals against average, but will face his toughest test in the form of Listowel's number-one offense. Listowel's Evan Morrison leads all playoff goaltenders with a sparkling 0.97 goals against average. The Cyclones struggled with Waterloo more than any Midwest team this season, winning just twice in the seven meetings between the clubs. Listowel's worst loss of the season came in November, a 7-1 drubbing at home to the Siskins. Waterloo will need its powerplay to go blow for blow with Listowel's in this series, which is working at over 31% this postseason, while its penalty kill is a near-perfect 92%. Spaedt leads the Siskins offense with 15 points in 11 games, while Lansink has continued his ridiculous season for Listowel with 22 points in nine playoff games. This series is sure to be fast, exciting and full of storylines as the Cyclones try to captured their third straight Cherrey Cup title. Game 1 is slated for Friday night at 7:30 pm in Listowel.