LISTOWEL - Coach Phil Westman has said it before: the way his Stratford Cullitons practice Wednesday nights usually determines how they perform on the weekend.
Westman reported that Cullitons had a good workout last Wednesday, and the Tribe responded with a four-point weekend. “I can honestly tell you, I know how we’re going to be Friday night on Wednesday,” he said. “I was feeling confident going into the weekend.”
Here Sunday afternoon, Cullitons skated to a deserving 4-3 win over the Cyclones – completing a two-game Midwestern Conference sweep against their Perth County rivals.
Stratford has now won four of the five games to date against Listowel, but there have been three one-goal decisions between the two teams.
“It was a real good game, and we played well,” Westman reported from Listowel’s Memorial Arena. “We brought our game today, and I thought we took it to them all game.
“It’s a tough rink to play in, but our team played well in there today. It’s a good rink, size-wise, for our team to play in.
“It was a big four points for our team,” he continued. “We’re starting to get some bodies back, and I was happy with our intensity and our focus this weekend.”
Tribe one point behind Eagles
Following Sunday’s games, Cullitons (34-6) sit in second place – one point behind Brantford Golden Eagles (33-6-3), who have won 11 of their last 12 games. However, the Tribe has two games in hand.
Third-place Elmira Sugar Kings (30-9-1) are seven points behind Stratford. Cambridge Winter Hawks (24-16-1) remain a distant fourth, 20 points behind Brantford.
On Friday night at the Allman Arena, veteran Steve Dol scored twice and Cullitons dominated the final 40 minutes in a 5-1 victory over the Cyclones in front of over 1,100 spectators.
Stratford 4 - Listowel 3
In Listowel Sunday, centre Ray Huether fired a pair of goals for Cullitons – including the game winner at 8:51 of the third period.
Huether’s 30th of the season gave the visitors a 4-2 lead.
Cyclones’ Aaron Armstrong made it a one-goal game with 1:41 remaining, and the Tribe also finished the game killing off a last-minute hooking penalty to Dol.
“There was a heckuva lot that went on in that game for us to get a hooking penalty that late,” Westman said in amazement.
The announced shots were 36-35 for Listowel, but Westman doesn’t know if that statistic was quite accurate. “I know we out-shot them. Their shots were from the outside, if they had that many.”
Westman, however, didn’t like the number of powerplays that his team gave Listowel, as Cyclones went 2-for-7 with the man advantage. “We’re taking too many penalties to be successful, but we got away with it this weekend.”
Cullitons took 22 of the 30 penalty minutes.
The Tribe led 2-1 after the first period on goals by Huether and Chett Binning (his 13th). Defenceman Sam Patterson tied it at 5:04 of the second period, with Listowel’s second powerplay goal, but veteran Brock Reynolds put Stratford ahead to stay just 35 seconds later.
Caleb Cameron scored Cyclones’ first goal. Defenceman Mike Pleon chipped in two assists for Cullitons, while new blue-liner Craig Johnson helped set up a pair of Listowel goals.
Jesse Raymond (20-5) reached the 20-win plateau with his second victory of the weekend. The 20-year-old Woodstock native has the third-best goals-against average (2.31) in the GOJHL.
The sixth-place Cyclones (14-23-3), meanwhile, finished the weekend just two points ahead of Waterloo Siskins (13-24-3).
Stratford 5 - Listowel 1
At the Allman Friday night, goals by Steve Dol and Ray Huether – just 70 seconds apart early in the second period – put Cullitons ahead to stay.
Hard-working centre Trevor Sauder scored a shorthanded goal late in the period to make it 3-0, and place the home team firmly in the driver’s seat.
After Brad McClure (his 39th) made it 4-0 at 8:39 of the third, Cyclones’ Colton Pickett broke Jesse Raymond’s shutout bid less than a minute later.
Dol added his 22nd of the campaign, on a powerplay, late in the game. Brock Reynolds picked up his second assist of the night on the goal.
“We didn’t get off to the start we wanted; we only had five shots in the first period,” Westman pointed out. “And that’s usually when we come out of the gates flying.
“But we played solid all over the ice. The whole team felt good about the way we played. We worked hard and paid the price.”
The Tribe out-shot Cyclones 34-12 over the final two periods, and 39-20 overall.
It was a little more feisty than Sunday’s game as Listowel took 40 of the 72 penalty minutes.
This weekend: Cullitons host Waterloo on Friday at 7:30 p.m., before travelling to Elmira Sunday for a big game against the Kings. Game time is 7 o’clock. It’s one of three games left with the Kings.
“We’ve got to get ourselves ready for playoffs . . . and that’s the bottom line,” Westman summed up. “It’s going to take all 23 players playing their roles and doing a good job.”
