Listowel, Ont- The Listowel Cyclones were featured prominently in back-to-back GOHL Spotlight games over the weekend, taking part in two of the league’s most storied rivalries while showcasing resilience, depth scoring, and strong goaltending.
Friday Night: Battle of 86 vs. Elmira Sugar Kings
Friday night at the Steve Kerr Memorial Arena marked a classic “Battle of 86” as the Cyclones hosted the Elmira Sugar Kings with puck drop at 7:30 p.m. in front of a strong crowd of 474 fans.
The opening period belonged to the visitors, as Elmira capitalized early and often, scoring four unanswered goals to take control after 20 minutes. Facing a significant deficit, the Cyclones responded with determination in the second period.
Listowel opened the scoring with a power-play goal from Hudson Wiles, assisted by Dylan Szymanowski, igniting the comeback. Momentum continued as Jordan Visneskie found the back of the net, set up by Trenton Harris and Keaton Middleton. Middleton would later add a goal of his own, assisted by Lyndon Cabral and Visneskie, bringing the Cyclones within one. The comeback was completed when Clark deBoer scored, with assists credited to Ryan Cranny and Ethan Fischer, tying the game 4–4 heading into the third period.
Despite the strong rally, Elmira regained the lead in the third period and later sealed the game with an empty-net goal. The Cyclones ultimately fell 6–4. Ethan Kowatsch was solid in goal, turning aside 26 shots in the contest.
Sunday Afternoon: Battle of Perth County in Stratford
The Cyclones were back on the road Sunday, traveling to Stratford to face the Warriors in the always-intense “Battle of Perth County”, another GOHL Spotlight game.
Listowel struck first on the power play, as Jack O’Donnell scored his 10th goal of the season, assisted by Hudson Wiles and Jordan Visneskie. The milestone goal was especially meaningful for O’Donnell, who recently played his 200th career GOHL game and is in his fourth season with the Cyclones.
Stratford responded with a goal later in the first period and added another in the second, giving the Warriors a 2–1 lead. The Cyclones battled back to force overtime, but neither team could find a winner during the three-on-three extra frame.
The game advanced to a shootout, where Stratford scored the decisive goal to claim a 3–2 victory. Despite the loss, Listowel earned a valuable point. Jack Bree delivered a standout performance in net, making 41 saves to keep the Cyclones competitive throughout the afternoon.
Looking Ahead Before the Christmas Break
With the Christmas break approaching, the Cyclones have just two games remaining before the pause in the schedule.
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Thursday: The team travels to Sarnia to face the Legionnaires.
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Friday: The Cyclones return home for their final game before the break, hosting the LaSalle Vipers at the Steve Kerr Memorial Arena with a 7:30 p.m. puck drop.
Both games will be available to watch on FloHockey. Fans unable to attend Friday night’s home game can also tune in live on 920 CKNX or stream the action on FloHockey.
The Cyclones continue to battle through a demanding stretch of rivalry games, carrying momentum, depth scoring, and strong goaltending into the final week before the holiday break.
