Written by Barry Culmer
Having already finished top of the standings in regular season play, the Kincardine Legion Peewee Kinucks are now WOAA champions, beating arch rivals the Listowel Cyclones by three games to one in the final play down best of five. With the series tied at one game apiece, each team winning away from home, the Kinucks looked to get an advantage on home ice on Wednesday, February 17. Both teams made hesitant starts but Kincardine edged ahead at the end of the period with Shane Vollmer firing home 1.46 from the end on a feed from Evan Brown. The Cyclones pressed hard at the start of the second, only a crucial poke check from Joey Doyle and a post keeping them off the score sheet. Kincardine hit back and had a ‘how did the puck stay out’ moment at the end of the second leaving it a one goal game going into the third. Seconds into the third Kincardine took a penalty that Listowel capitalized on with a shot from the point to tie the game. Neither team was giving the other much room to play so one goal would likely decide it. It was the Kinucks who broke the deadlock halfway through, Ethan Skinner scoring from Brett Burrows and Dalton Hayes for a 2-1 win and a 2-1 lead in the series.
On Saturday 20th February, Listowel hosted the fourth game of the series, a ‘must win’ game for them to stay in the playoffs. They had their arena buzzing with a big crowd, music blasting and posters around the ice proclaiming ‘our ice, our game’. Unusually for this tight series so far the first five minutes of the game saw three goals. A minute and a half in, Listowel struck first on a breakaway to take the lead. But Ethan Skinner struck back less than a minute later from Garrett McFadden to tie it up only for the Cyclones to take the lead two minutes later. A Kincardine penalty shortly after had supporters’ nerves jangling but an excellent Ethan Primeau save and good work keeping the puck in the Listowel end enabled the crucial penalty kill. That set the stage for the Kinucks tying goal. Just over a minute from the end of the period Shane Vollmer scored a nice one assisted by Garrett McFadden.
There was no score in an exciting end to end second period but Kincardine got the upper hand to set themselves up for the third. Both teams traded penalties until a well-deserved Scott McFarlan goal, assisted by Ethan Skinner, put Kincardine 3-2 ahead on a power play five minutes from time. Another successful penalty kill led to an unassisted goal from Marshall Smith 45 seconds from the horn to make it 4-2 and silence the home crowd. Ethan Skinner put the icing on the cake with an empty netter a second from the end for a 5-2 victory. Great team play was the platform for the win with Sam Culmer, Kurt Dunsbier and Ethan Long putting in strong shifts all series in addition to those already mentioned. Congratulations too to head coach Brian Royle assisted by Lou Battaino, Curtis Chaput, and Dane Dunlop. With a 3-1 series win the boys now have the WOAA Championship to add to their Regional and International Silver Stick victories! Next up the OMHA playoffs believed at the time of writing to be against the Strathroy Junior Rockets who the Kinucks beat in the International Silver Stick Final!