KINGS : Coach expects a tight battle as team goes into the first round against the Cambridge Redhawks
At 11:20 of the third period, the Kings restored the four-goal cushion when Isaiah Shantz found the back of the net, assisted by Eveleigh. Brantford would get one more a couple of minutes later, but that would be as close as things got. Good scored on the power play at 15:30, from Brady Schwindt and Brett Warrilow, and then Della Croce’s second of the night at 16:17 capped the score at 8-3. Assists went to Eveleigh and netminder Owen Edwards, his first of the year.
The final score was indicative of the 48-22 shot advantage enjoyed by
Elmira. Edwards stopped 19 to post the win. The Kings were 2-5 with the man advantage, while Brantford went 1-5.
The scoring touch was still in evidence, albeit reduced, back in Elmira the following day as the Kings welcomed the Cyclones to the Dan Snyder Memorial Arena. Gaining at least a point would have seen the team finish in secondplace rather than third, but it was not to be.
The Kings again got off to an early lead, but were unable to hold on to it.
Forwell put the home team up 1-0 with a goal at 4:05, assists going to Martin and Schwindt.
Martin’s power-play goal just over two minutes later, from Brendan Gerber and Della Croce, made it 2-0.
Listowel got back in it with a goal at 16:26, followed by another a little more than two minutes later. However, the Kings would go into the first intermission with a lead courtesy of Martin’s second power-play goal at 19:03, Gerber and Eveleigh picking up assists.
In the second, it was all Listowel, with a pair of former Kings getting in on the action. Jack O’Donnell tied it at 3-3 just a couple of minutes in, with Luke Eurig’s goal at 14:07 capping a three-goal period for the visitors.
It was 5-3 after 40 minutes.
The teams traded goals late in the third, with the Cyclones capitalizing on a power play to go up 6-3 at 16:08 before Martin (Della Croce) completed his hat trick at 18:47. The score was 6-4 when the final buzzer sounded.
Shots were 30-29 in favour of Elmira, with Edwards stopping 22 of the 28 he faced while on the ice. The Kings again went 2-5 on the power play, while Listowel was 1-3.
“We got off to a really hot start – we scored two goals in the first 10 minutes. And then they came back. They came out in the second period and took it to us, put up three right away,” said head coach Corey Prang.
“We didn’t give up. We fought back right to the very end, but, ultimately, didn’t get the two points and finished in the threehole,” he added of the conference standings.
The split of the final weekend saw the Kings finish the season with a record of 32-16-0-2, their 66 points the same as second-place Stratford (31-15-4) and fourth-place Waterloo (29-13-4-4). The playoff seeding means Elmira faces six-place Cambridge (21-25-3-1) in the first round. The series got underway Wednesday night, though results weren’t known prior to press time.
“It’s tight. It’s not very often you’ll find the second-, third- and fourthplace team finishing tied in points. And then Ayr is not too far behind. It kind of shows how anybody can win on any given night. It’s going to be interesting to see how things play out,” said Prang of the playoffs.
“You don’t get to pick your poison, so we got who we got. It’ll be a tough series. I think every game we played Cambridge this year was a one-goal game. I don’t expect anything different.”