The Waterloo Siskins are Sutherland Cup Champions after defeating the London Nationals 3-2 in overtime in the deciding Game 7 of the series.

The Championship is the Siskins league-leading 12^th title, but their first since 1994.

The pivotal Game 7 was a perfect microcosm of the entire series. At times, it looked like one team was going to run away with it. At other times, it seemed as if there would be no end to the battle. London started the game by directing the first seven shots on goal before the Siskins could record one. Waterloo turned up the pressure towards the end of the period and only trailed the shot count 13-12 after 20 minutes, but neither team had scored.

Early in the second period, the first penalty of the game was issued, and it went against Waterloo. London’s powerplay had struggled in the series, but they got on the board with Cal Davis redirecting Noah Tooke’s shot for Davis’s third of the playoffs after missing some time with injury. Waterloo amped up their offensive pressure after conceding the initial goal, spending the remainder of the period trying for the equalizer. Long sequences of action would take place without a whistle, and every fan in the sold-out Western Fair District Sports Centre was on the edge of their seat. With six seconds left in the period, Curtis Rawn found some space in front of the net and scored, tying the game heading into the third period.

After giving up a goal in the final minute of the second period, London responded by scoring just 10 seconds of the third period. Cal Davis had a partial breakaway tucked a shot in near the post to put London ahead 2-1 with Davis’s second of the evening. The arena was buzzing. Tirelessly, the Siskins threw everything on net trying to get the equalizer. London did a good job of clearing out the front of their net and sacrificed their bodies to block shots. With five minutes remaining in the third period, the game’s second penalty was issued, and it was against the Nationals. Sam Spaedt found some open room on the powerplay and scored his 10^th goal of the playoffs to tie the game. Game 7 of the Sutherland Cup Championship series went to overtime.

Both teams had equally good opportunities to end the game. Both Zach Springer for London and Matt Onuska for Waterloo were outstanding in their respective nets. At 15:30 of overtime, Alec Tiley threw a puck on net from the point that took a deflection and went into the London net. The Siskins—players and fans alike—were sent into a frenzy, as they had won their first GOJHL title in a quarter-century.

Matt Onuska was named the MVP of the playoffs, taking the net of a Jr. B team at just 16 years old, posting a 2.85 GAA and a .909 save percentage.

The Siskins finished the regular season as the third seed in the Midwestern Conference, and won their way to the top of the 25-team mountain of the GOJHL. They cruised their way through their conference to win the Cherry Cup, then knocked off the league’s top regular season team in the Niagara Falls Canucks handily in the Sutherland Cup semifinals.

The win is huge for the program, that has seen some struggles in the past few years. The 2018-19 Waterloo Siskins found the right magic at the right time: great leadership, solid goaltending from an unlikely culprit, and timely scoring. All those factors are a recipe for success, and have made the Waterloo Siskins a part of history once again.