If you were to say that the Midget Reps were to win a championship at the start of the season, many people would have bet against it. However, the heart and soul of the Listowel Midget Reps was shown on home ice Thursday night as they overcame all odds to secure the OMHA title after being down 2-1.
Listowel opened the series with a thriller 4-3 win on March. 13 at home. The series resumed in Alymer on Sunday, March. 22, in Alymer. Alymer came to play in game to blowing Listowel out 5-2. Game 3 would return home to Listowel with the series tied at a game a piece. Listowel would get out to the early lead in game 3 only to find themselves giving Alymer the lead right back with numerous penalties that gave Alymer scoring opportunity after scoring opportunity. Alymer would build a 4-1 lead, before Listowel would fight back with three unanswered goals late in the second to come out of the second with a 4-4 tie. The third period opened with Listowel again being all over the Alymer team. However, Listowel would have trouble clearing the puck after a successful faceoff. Alymer would walk in to the top of the cirlces and put it away to give them the 5-4 lead, and evidently the 5-4 win.
With their backs against the wall, the Listowel squad travelled back down to Alymer for a potentially deciding game 4. The game was at this point the biggest and toughest game of the series as Listowel had their backs against the wall in front of the packed 700+ crowd. Before the game, Listowel had discussed many different avenues to have success in the game, one of being staying out of the penalty box which had plauged the team in the series. Listowel opened the scoring with 6 minutes left in the first. The grinder line of Eric Boisvert, Philip Boertien, and Josh McPhee played some of their best hockey in recent games as they outworked the Alymer team each opportunity they were on the ice. McPhee would win the battle deep in the Alymer zone, passing it out to Philip Boertien who made no mistake putting the puck home for the 1-0 lead to end the first. Listowel kept the momentum going in the second period peppering the Alymer goaltender with numerous shots that he would turn away. Listowel would score again early in the second as Ben Norman made an amazing move at the line beating the Alymer defenceman only to pass the puck wide to Jonathan Hunsberger who would rifle a slapshot off the shoulder of the Alymer tender. However, Jamie Burns would make no mistake putting the rebound home with a snapshot upstairs. Alymer would subsquently call a time out to try and calm the Listowel attack. However, Listowel would keep the momentum rolling and continued to play the best hockey of the year. With just over 8 minutes left in the second, the Norman-Burns-Hunsberger line would answer again as Burns fed the puck to Hunsberger would took a huge slapshot that went upstair shortside on the Alymer goaltender. Alymer would get one back minutes later on an unfortunate bounce off the boards that allowed the Alymer player to walk over the blueline and put it home. Listowel would shut the Alymer team down in the third period to close the game with the 3-1 score. Listowel's Ian Robinson played some of his best goaltending of the year considering some of the heckling that was taking place from the Alymer faithful. Listowel would get back on the bus victorious and head home for the deciding game 5, at home this past Thursday night.
OMHA Finals, game 5, what more can you ask? Nothing. THE BIGGEST GAME OF THE YEAR! and for most, their lives. The small Listowel Memorial arena would be packed with cyclone faithful for which would be maybe one of the biggest crowds for a minor hockey game in recent history. With the whole season on the line, could you ask for a better time for a time to win a flip (first one in the playoffs, I might add).
The first period started off quite slow as each team found themselves strucken with a bit of nervousness. Each team would exchange scoring opportunities, powerplays and penalty kills all of which were turned away by Listowel's Ian Robinson and Alymer's Tanner Bates. After the first, the teams seemed to start to get more comfortable with themselves and other teammates and the game started to open up with numerous scoring opportunities by both teams. Listowel would try to get something going only to be turned away by Alymer's defence and goaltending. Alymer would be the first to break the scoreless game as Listowel turned the puck over just inside the blueline and Alymer capitalized to take a 1-0 lead. Listowel would get numerous powerplay opportunities; however, they could not seem to capitalize on the ice. The second period ended in a 1-0 Alymer lead. During intermission, Listowel was reassured by the coaching staff to not get frustrated and to keep working hard, leave it all on the ice, play like its your last and you will be OMHA champs. By the time the game was over, they were.
As the Midgets had all year, they again came to play in the third. Listowel was all over the Alymer team in the opening minutes trying to solve the Alymer goaltender. With just over 10 minutes left in the game, the line of Brett Buchanan-Justin Jacklin-George McKeown opened the door to what was one of the best periods of hockey the team would play. Buchanan and McKeown would win the battle down behind the Alymer net, only to pass the puck to the high slot where Justin Jacklin put it home to tie the game at one a piece. The hard work of the line of Boertien-McPhee-Boisvert would pay off again as they would battle the puck loose down low. Feeding a short pass to Josh McPhee in the slot who put a dirty backhand upstairs on the Alymer goaltender giving Listowel the lead. Listowel would shut the Alymer team down with great defensive efforts in the final minutes. With just over two minutes left in the game, Listowel's Josh McPhee would take a charging penalty to put Listowel down a man. However, Listowel battled hard to get the puck out on numerous occasions eventually getting a draw in the Alymer zone with 20 seconds left in the game. Jonathan Hunsberger would put the finishing touches on a Listowel attack with a short handed goal. The game would end with the Alymer team becoming stupid and picking fights with numerous Listowel players. However, Listowel held their own even with the three players that were sent off the bench by the Alymer coach.
Listowel would celebrate the championship in style with a 3-1 win on home ice with the other OMHA championship team, the PeeWee reps. Congratulations goes out to all the players who worked hard for this title over the past few months.
GO CYCLONES GO